Police raided the office of journalist Kishor Shrestha on Thursday morning, hours after arresting him at his home.

Shrestha is being held at the Kathmandu District Police Range and is due to be presented before a court on Thursday. Police said he was arrested for investigation on suspicion of violating Nepal’s Privacy Act, 2018. 

A team from the Kathmandu District Police Range raided the office of Jana Aastha Saptahik in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, and seized computers, including CPUs and monitors, as well as other electronic devices.

Police spokesperson Superintendent of Police Dan Bahadur Thapa said the equipment was taken into custody as part of the investigation.

Journalists staged a protest outside the Kathmandu District Police Range on Thursday, demanding Shrestha’s immediate release. The demonstration was organised by the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), which has condemned his arrest and called for his unconditional release.

In a statement signed by FNJ general secretary Ram Prasad Dahal, the federation urged the authorities to end what it described as “anti-press” conduct, release Shrestha unconditionally and respect press freedom. It also said that any dispute over the content of a news report should be addressed through the appropriate process at the Press Council Nepal.

The federation said it had received information that, shortly after Shrestha’s arrest, police searched his home at around 1 am on Thursday, allegedly in an attempt to identify the source of the news report. Police also raided his office early Thursday morning, the FNJ said.

The federation said it had received information that, shortly after Shrestha’s arrest, police searched his home at around 1 am on Thursday, allegedly in an attempt to identify the source of the news report. Police also raided his office early Thursday morning, the FNJ said.

The federation expressed serious concern over the police’s actions, saying the state had encroached on the jurisdiction of the Press Council.

“The Press Council Nepal has jurisdiction over complaints concerning news content. Using state machinery in this manner against journalist Shrestha, under the pretext of investigating the news source, is against press and freedom of expression, the journalists’ code of conduct and the constitution,” the statement said.

The FNJ called on the government to correct what it described as anti-press conduct, immediately release Shrestha without conditions and respect press freedom.

It also urged the authorities to use the procedures available through the Press Council Nepal to resolve any grievances over the news report. At the same time, it called on the Press Council to play an effective role in protecting its jurisdiction.