The Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) has conveyed its concern regarding the apprehension of a 53-year-old advocate for good governance in Biratnagar Metropolitan City-5, Jamungachi. A delegation of human rights activists, led by Somraj Thapa, the Provincial Coordinator of INSEC’s Koshi Province Office in Biratnagar, gathered information about the detention of Indira Chapangai, who is currently under custody of the District Police Office, on August 8.
On July 31, Mayor Nagesh Koirala of Biratnagar Metropolitan City lodged a formal complaint against the advocate, citing allegations of obscenity. Subsequently, Chapangai was arrested and taken into custody by the police on the same day. Somraj Thapa, the Koshi Provincial Coordinator for INSEC, disclosed that he personally visited the detained activist Chapangai, who is currently being held for investigative purposes, to gain insights into the incident.
During an interaction with Superintendent of Police (SP) Deepak Pokharel of the District Police Office, Coordinator Thapa was informed that Chapangai’s arrest was instigated in response to a request from the Metropolitan Corporation. SP Pokharel assured the rights activists that he would actively contribute to resolving the matter, considering their vested interest in the issues raised by the activist.
In an engagement with a rights activist team, Mayor Koirala explained that while the right to protest is acknowledged, his decision to file a complaint against the activist stemmed from alleged insults and offensive language directed towards him. Inspector Pappu Nayak revealed that Chapangai’s detention was initiated following a complaint lodged against her by the Biratnagar Metropolitan City Office on July 31, with subsequent extension of the investigative period as authorized by the district court order on August 7.
Chapangai, a fervent advocate for good governance, lodged a petition on June 1 against Gograh College Biratnagar and its managing committee at the District Administration Office in Mordga. Since May, she has been staging protests against Mayor Koirala in front of the Biratnagar Metropolitan City, vehemently opposing the operation of Gograh Community College as a private institution. Her demands center on the presentation of the contractual agreement, signed in the early 2000s under Purvanchal University Act, which governs the college.
Gograha School, situated in Biratnagar Metropolitan City-4, is privately operated, and allegations have arisen that the Biratnagar Metropolitan City extended financial support of NPR 700,000 to the institution.
