RSP protests planned in Pokhara and Kathmandu against Lamichhane's arrest

Kathmandu, October 19 — The Rashtriya Swotantra Party (RSP) has announced plans to stage protests in Pokhara and Kathmandu in opposition to the arrest of party president Rabi Lamichhane. Demonstrations are set to take place at 11 a.m. in the Manab Adhikaar Square in Pokhara and at 1 p.m. in Maitighar, Kathmandu.

To lead the protest in Pokhara, both vice presidents of the party, DP Aryal and Swarnim Wagle, along with other leaders, arrived in the city last night. The RSP aims to protest against Lamichhane’s arrest under the banner of solidarity against political retribution.

This morning, a team from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) handed Lamichhane, a former Home Minister, over to the Kaski police. He was apprehended on Friday evening at the party office in Kathmandu and transported to Pokhara via road, before being officially transferred to Kaski police custody around 3 a.m. on Saturday.

In a bid to navigate through disruptions and chants from party activists overnight, Lamichhane was escorted to Pokhara. Initially, he underwent a medical examination at the Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences before being taken to the District Police Office, Kaski, where he is currently detained.

After his transfer to Kaski police custody, RSP vice presidents Wagle and Aryal, along with Lamichhane’s wife, Nikita Paudel, visited him. During the journey to Pokhara, supporters gathered along the roadside, vocally expressing their support for Lamichhane and protesting against the government.

Lamichhane faces allegations of embezzlement involving funds from cooperatives, including Surya Darshan. Previously, a parliamentary investigation committee led by MP Surya Bahadur Thapa concluded that Lamichhane had misappropriated cooperative savings, recommending further investigation by the police.

The RSP has asserted that, given the parliamentary committee's confirmation of no involvement in cooperative fraud, the arrest of party president Lamichhane represents a politically motivated act. Spokesperson Manish Jha issued a statement emphasizing the party's readiness to assist judicial inquiries but firmly rejecting any form of political retribution.

The party alleges that this arrest, lacking justification or basis, has initiated a troubling trend that allows those involved in the misappropriation of 8.7 billion rupees from public cooperatives to evade accountability.

RSP has also accused parties that have colluded in multi-billion rupee scandals, such as the Giribandhu, Bhutanese refugee incident, Teramax, and Widebody, of attacking new political movements while protecting one another in their corrupt dealings.