No sooner had he thus rekindled hope in the security system, he allegedly did exactly the opposite by exerting pressure on Kapilvastu Superintendent of Police Dhiru Basnet to release one Kaushar Ali, the man behind extorting money from vehicles by erecting a barricade at Krishnanagar. By all means, the DPM’s support to a criminal is a flagrant mockery of the current government’s zero tolerance policy toward corruption and impunity.
As a town adjacent to the Indian border, Krishnanagar is a highly security sensitive zone and hence demands stringent security arrangements. It is, therefore, commendable that SP Basnet is strictly containing smuggling and organized crimes in the border areas, something that Gachchedahr should have been proud of. To succumb to unlawful demands to release Ali and transfer Basnet will, in no way, uphold the DPM’s image.
Home ministers, more often than not, have had the reputation of transferring and dismissing those police officers who act contrary to their interests. In January, Kathmandu Valley Police Chief SP Ramesh Kharel had suffered for his unwavering commitment to control crimes and his stiff resistance to bow down to political pressure. Unsatisfied with his working style, the powers-that-be had transferred Kharel to Nepal Police Academy first and then to Bara.
Criminals make merry when the political situation is fluid. The businessmen in Kapilvastu are doing exactly the same. The state should thwart such attempts by all means. And as a DPM who also doubles up as the home minister, we expect Gachchedhar to prove his integrity and dismantle the politics-crime -nexus instead of abetting it. We strongly urge DPM to immediately abstain from open intervention and live by the pledge that he took while assuming this high office.
He should not succumb to the unreasonable demands of the businessmen and instead encourage SP Basnet to do his duty well. This will not only add to his credibility but also earn good reputation for the party that he represents. Meanwhile, if push comes to shove, Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai from whom the public expects a lot should not hesitate to step in to stop such gross misuse of power.
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