Prahlad Bhujel, an accountant of District Education Office (DEO), Dhanusha branch issued death threat to a local journalist Nawal kishor Yadav, a reporter for state-owned "Gorkhapatra" and "The Rising Nepal" daily in Dhanusa–a southern plain district of Nepal–on December 6, 2010.
According to journalist Yadav he was threatened while covering the news of 'massive corruption' in DEO Dhanusha office.
"I called accountant Bhujel two weeks ago to understand his version regarding the rumor of corruption rife in the DEO office. I started receiving threatening calls once I talked to him," journalist Yadav told Press Freedom Monitoring Desk of Freedom Forum.
Journalist Yadav has already informed the incident to DEO office along with District Administration Office (DAO), Dhanusha asking for the punishment to the guilty party.
"I want the guilty to be punished as per legal arrangement," said journalist Yadav, "bid to stop my writing by threat is impossible as I firmly adhere to the journalist's right to reporting."
Freedom Forum strongly condemns the incident and asks the government to bring the guilty to book at the earliest. "It is very unfortunate to learn the threat against journalist by a civil servant," said Freedom Forum's Chairperson Taranath Dahal, "we urge the government to investigate the incident and do the needful to the responsible of the incident."
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022