Police on Tuesday arrested Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya.

A police team, including Senior Superintendent of Police Sanuram Bhattarai and Superintendent of Police Rabindra Regmi of Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, arrested Sirohiya from the Thapathali-based central office of the media group.

Police arrested Sirohiya without questioning him on a complaint filed at the Dhanusha District Police Office.

The arrest follows a series of news reports carried out by KMG’s outlets on the cooperative scam. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane is accused of misappropriating millions of rupees deposited in various cooperatives in several cities.

Talking to the media briefly after his arrest, Sirohiya said the government showed authoritarian characteristics [by arresting him] despite his willingness to assist in the investigation.

Sirohiya also described his arrest as a blow to press freedom. “This is an assault on press freedom, and I will fight until the end,” he said.

Earlier today, Sirohiya said he was ready to cooperate in every investigation conducted as per the law.

In a statement, Sirohiya said the arrest warrant was issued to blackmail Kantipur daily into not publishing more reports on cooperative frauds.

“It is the media’s responsibility to raise voice and demand justice and fair investigation into all those involved in the embezzlement of the hard-earned savings of more than 7.1 million depositors in various cooperatives,” Sirohiya said. “There is no doubt that the filing of the complaint and the issuance of the arrest warrant against me without any interrogation has been done to blackmail Kantipur into not publishing more reports on the issue and to divert attention.”

Sirohiya asserted that Kantipur will not back down even an inch from raising its voice against the wrongdoings in the society, including on the cooperatives scam.

“The office bearers who abuse their authority and misuse police administration to exact vengeance against the chairman of a media house based on the news they publish should also answer when there will be an investigation into the individual who came to power through political bargaining that entailed getting the Attorney General to certify that he would not be prosecuted for holding dual passports,” Sirohiya said.