Lumbini Province
Police arrest landlord for evicting a staff nurse from her rented house in Dang
Following the incident, the District Administration Office has issued a notice asking homeowners to refrain from such discriminatory activities towards health professionals.Durgalal KC
Police on Tuesday arrested a landlord in Ghorahi who asked his tenant, a staff nurse, to vacate her flat. Narayan Acharya had refused entry to his tenant to her rented flat since Saturday citing his fear of contracting coronavirus from her. The staff nurse had taken up residence at Acharya’s house from mid-November last year.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Sumit Khadka, who is also the spokesperson for Dang district police, said, “We arrested Acharya on Tuesday following a complaint from his tenant.”
Balaram Sharma, the director of Buddha International Hospital where the staff nurse is currently employed, said that he had accompanied her to the police station on Monday. “She made a verbal complaint against her landlord,” said Sharma.
The staff nurse, who asked her name to be withheld for privacy reasons, has been staying at a hotel since her eviction, according to Govinda Prasad Rijal, chief district officer of Dang. “We have asked her to see us so that the investigation can move forward,” he said. Acharya is also the secretary of Ghorahi Sub-metropolis Ward No. 2, according to Rijal.
When the Post contacted the evicted tenant, she refused to comment.
Meanwhile, following the incident, the District Administration Office on Monday issued a notice requesting landlords to refrain from such activities. "Any landlord asking health workers to vacate their residence will be punished according to the law," reads the notice.
Ever since the novel coronavirus pandemic reached Nepal with five positive cases reported so far, reports of health care workers being subjected to forced evictions from their rented houses and mistreatment by their landlords are doing the rounds.
While no complaints have been filed with the police so far in Kathmandu, there is a growing concern of discriminatory behaviour towards health professionals.