The Dhanusha District Court on Wednesday remanded Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya to three days in custody.

A single bench of Judge Churaman Khadka issued the order after police presented him before the court, seeking a remand to investigate a citizenship certificate-related case. The remand lasts till Thursday.

Police had sought a 10-day custody, while the district attorney’s office wanted to detain Sirohiya for five days.

During the hearing for the remand order, district attorney Sudip Kumar Dangal argued on behalf of the government of Nepal while senior advocates Yugal Kishor Lal and Binod Kumar Sharma and advocate duo Sudip Kumar Koirala, Raman Kumar Karna and Kishor Paudel argued on the behalf of the defendant—Sirohiya.

A police team, including Senior Superintendent Sanuram Bhattarai and Superintendent Rabindra Regmi of the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office, arrested Sirohiya on Tuesday from his office at the Kantipur Publications headquarters in Thapathali, Kathmandu. He was then taken to Dhanusha, where a complaint was filed against him.

A large number of security personnel were deployed while Sirohiya was presented to the Office of the District Attorney and the Dhanusha District Court.

Sirohiya was detained based on a complaint filed by Indrajit Mahato of Sarlahi district at the District Police Office in Dhanusha on April 28. Mahato, a cadre of Rastriya Swatantra Party led by Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, accused Sirohiya of using multiple citizenship cards and demanded that the offence be investigated according to the Citizenship Act 2006.

Meanwhile, protest programmes were organised in various districts of Madhesh Province including Dhanusha, demanding Sirohiya's immediate release.

The Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the civil society, local journalists, business community, various professional organisations, sister organisations of political parties and the general public demonstrated in various places of Janakpur. An all-party meeting was held at the office of the Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry to decide on the protest plan against Sirohiya's arrest.

The protesters under the banner of Civil Society Dhanusha and the activists of Nepal Students’ Union (NSU), the student wing of Nepali Congress, staged demonstrations in front of the Dhanusha district court. They clashed with the security personnel as the NSU cadres attempted to breach the police barricade.

The businesspersons met with the Chief District Officer of Dhanusha Bhuwaneshwar Tiwari and urged him to release Sirohiya immediately. They warned to launch a strong protest if he was not freed.

“Sirohiya was arrested for vengeance. It is the Nepal government's discrimination against the Madhesh and the Madheshi people," said Bajarang Prasad Sah, former mayor of the Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City. “We will be compelled to stage a demonstration by enforcing a banda unless he is freed immediately.”

In Siraha, people in Mirchaiya staged demonstrations to protest the arrest of KMG Chairman Sirohiya. The protesters under the banner of Civil Society, Mirchaiya burnt effigies of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane at Katari Chowk. The enraged protesters demanded immediate resignation of the prime minister and home minister.

The protesters enforced a vehicular strike from 9 am to 10 am in Mirchaiya. They asserted that the arrest was an undemocratic step by the government. The demonstrators said they would stand in favour of the Kantipur Publications as it is a pillar of democracy in the country. The protesters demanded a fair investigation of the co-operative scam in which Minister Lamichhane is allegedly involved.