At 7:15 am on Monday, a vehicle crawled towards the gate of Kantipur Media Group in Tinkune. Security guards approached. The driver instead stopped the black jeep, with the registration number Ba Province 01 034 Cha 8480, just in front of the gate — in such a way that the entry and exit of other vehicles was completely blocked — and quietly left the scene.

Just about the same time, two vehicles were “parked” in front of the gates of Onlinekhabar in New Baneshwor and Himalaya Television in Mid-Baneshwor.

For hours, no one returned to reclaim the vehicles, which were removed later using cranes.

The timing of “leaving the vehicles” at the gates of media houses suggested a coordinated act that disrupted newsroom operations for several hours and triggered concerns.

Ramesh Thuyaju, one of the security guards at Kantipur, said a man wearing a face mask and dark sunglasses left the car directly in front of the main gate despite being told that parking there was prohibited.

“He said he had come to meet an elder brother inside the office. I asked him to park elsewhere because he could not leave the vehicle there,” said Thuyaju. “He ignored my request, parked the car anyway and ran away.”

According to Thuyaju, the man appeared to be talking to someone on the phone before leaving.

“When I saw him suddenly running towards the main road, I followed him. But I had to return because I could not leave the gate unattended,” he added.

Later, it was found that the vehicle left at Kantipur’s gate was used by Rabi Jaiswal, a businessman from Ward 4 of Garuda Municipality in Rautahat district.

He is a member of the Central Research and Documentation Department of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).

He was nominated to the department just last month.

Jaiswal acknowledged that the vehicle belonged to him but claimed someone else had borrowed it. “That is my vehicle. My friend borrowed it yesterday,” he told Kantipur. “His phone is switched off. I cannot come to collect the vehicle immediately.”

Jaiswal runs machinery businesses in Chandranigahapur and Garuda. He contested the 2022 Madhesh Provincial Assembly election as an independent candidate but was defeated despite securing a notable number of votes. His father, Kanthamani Jaiswal, was elected mayor of Garuda Municipality on a CPN-UML ticket in the 2022 local elections.

The other vehicles involved bore registration numbers Ba 12 Cha 8545, parked outside Onlinekhabar, and Ba 2 Cha 1255, left outside Himalaya Television.

The vehicle in front of Onlinekhabar is registered in the name of Sunil Poudel. Poudel told Onlinekhabar that the vehicle belonged to him but was with someone else, who the news outlet identified as Sujan Poudel.

It was not immediately clear why vehicles were suspiciously parked just outside the media houses. Police said an investigation was underway.

Senior Superintendent of Police Suresh Kafle, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, said some individuals had contacted police claiming their drivers had taken the vehicles without their knowledge.

“We are searching for everyone involved and will take action according to the law,” he said.

Yet, concerns have emerged.

The incident took place on the heels of another parking-related issue involving a ride-hailing driver who died on Friday, a day after self-immolating himself in Kathmandu over a dispute with city police, who had wheel-locked his motorbike for parking in an unauthorised area.

The Balendra Shah government has since drawn flak, with the media extensively reporting on the death of Ganesh Nepali and allegations of government high-handedness.

Umesh Chauhan, group editor of Himalaya Television and Onlinekhabar, called for a thorough investigation into the suspicious parking of vehicles in front of media houses, stating that the coordinated nature of the incident suggested an attempt to pressure news organisations.

“It is important to find out who did this, but the intention also appears obvious,” said Chauhan. “The message seems to be that if the media continue raising questions, anything could happen.”

He also questioned why police took hours to respond despite traffic being obstructed on a busy public road.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Nepali Journalists, the umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists, called the incident both mysterious and alarming.

In a statement issued by General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, the federation said vehicles had been deliberately parked outside the three media houses, obstructing journalists’ movement and creating fear among media workers.

It demanded an immediate investigation, legal action against those responsible, and stronger security for journalists and media institutions.

Later in the day, the ruling party said that it would not accept any actions, under any pretext, that undermine freedom of information and communication, create an atmosphere of fear for media organisations, or seek to curtail the role of the press as the fourth estate.

In a statement issued by General Secretary Bipin Kumar Acharya, the party said such “suspicious and mysterious” activities, apparently intended to intimidate media organisations and journalists or place them under psychological pressure, amounted to a blatant violation of democratic norms and values.

“As a democratic and responsible political party that believes in the rule of law, the Rastriya Swatantra Party has always stood firmly in support of full press freedom, citizens’ fundamental right to be informed, and independent journalism,” the statement said.

The party said free and fearless journalism is the lifeblood of democracy and reiterated its commitment to protecting press freedom. It also condemned this and any other attempts to intimidate the media.

However, in its statement, the RSP stopped short of mentioning — let alone addressing — the vehicle parked outside KMG’s gate, which RSP member Jaiswal acknowledged as his own.