Dharan journos hold silent rally

BY NISHA RAI,Dharan, Dec. 10: The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Sunsari branch organised a silent rally against Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City Mayor Harka Raj Rai on Monday.  

Participants in the silent rally carried placards with messages such as ‘Stop threats and intimidation,’ ‘Are you a ruler or a people's representative?’ ‘Will we get an answer to this?’ ‘Ensure press freedom’ and others. 

The rally started from Bhanu Chowk, passed through Chhata Chowk and Chataraline and concluded with a gathering at the gate of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City.

According to FNJ Sunsari Chairman Janak Rishi Rai, the silent rally was a protest against repeated verbal abuse and attempts to undermine the media by Mayor Rai, which were seen as interference in press and expression freedoms. 

The protest was sparked by a recent incident where Mayor Rai shared a video based on an article titled ‘Harka Sampang's Arbitrary Rule: Dharan in Chaos’ by journalist Gopal Dahal, published by the Centre for Investigative Journalism. Following this, Mayor Rai allegedly posted threatening remarks on social media targeting journalist Dahal and FNJ Sunsari Chairman Rai.  

The FNJ at the central, provincial and Sunsari levels condemned the remarks, labelling them a direct assault on press freedom. Senior journalist Harsha Subba said that journalists had felt unsafe since the Panchayat era and that it was unfortunate for representatives elected through democratic processes to threaten journalists fighting for democracy. Subba emphasised that while false reporting should be punished, issuing threats over news coverage was unacceptable.  

The protest rally saw participation from journalists and intellectuals from Dharan, representatives of political parties and various organisations. Before the protest, the FNJ had submitted a memorandum to Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak seeking safety for journalists.