An unknown gang burnt total 400 copies of mainstream national dailies early morning on February 22. The incident took place in front of Sita Nobel News Centre, Lahan. Lahan lies in Siraha district of Province 2.
Freedom Forum's representative for Province 2, Rajan Singh reported that newspapers were already burnt into ashes when the news centre owner Dinesh Dev reached at the site. Owner Dev himself wonder who burnt the newspapers and for what purpose, informed representative Singh quoting the owner Dev.
The burnt newspapers are The Kathmandu Post, Kantipur daily, Saptahik, Hello Sukrabar and others.
Few weeks back too, newspapers including Kantipur and Kathmandu Post were stolen from the same center.
According to the District Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Thapa, the incident is under investigation.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as it is gross violation of citizen's right to information and free press. Burning of newspapers for any reason is against constitutionally guaranteed provision for freedom of expression and right to information. Hence, FF strongly urges concerned authority to investigate upon the case and bring to book the perpetrators.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
Thapathali, Kathmandu
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np