Reporter at Merosathi Online Television, Suresh Sunar was asked to delete his video footage on August 23 in Kaski, Gandaki Province.
In a social media post shared on August 23, Reporter Sunar said he had recorded videos of Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his family during their stay at a local resort. He wrote, “I recorded the video from a distance and outside the premises of the resort, when I saw PM Shah entering the resort. After army officers saw me, they approached me and asked me not to film or make the footage publi. They said it was PM’s private family visit. I respected the security officials’ request and deleted the footage myself.”
Sunar also clarified in his post that he was neither abused nor manhandled during the incident. According to media reports, journalists were not allowed within 0.5 kilometers of the resort.
Freedom Forum views the incident with serious concern from a press freedom perspective. The Prime Minister being a public authority, his activities are the matters of public interest. Moreover, Sunar's statement that he deleted the footage himself after being asked not to make it public raises concerns about self-censorship. FF is concerned that such interventions by security personnel may have a chilling effect on press freedom.
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