An indecent behaviour complaint has been filed against Lumbini Province Health Minister Bimala Khatri Oli.

Mina Bhandari Basnet, 27, of Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City in Dang, took the complaint to Area Police Office, Tulsipur alleging misbehaviour at the hands of the minister.

As per the complaint, minister Khatri entered Basnet’s home and allegedly hurled verbal abuses, assaulted and misbehaved with the latter and her infant daughter.

Even though the complaint has been presented at the Area Police Office, it has not been registered.

According to Inspector Ranjit Swar, acting Chief at the Area Police Office, since the accused has been kept under the custody of District Police Office, Ghorahi, the complaint will also be sent to the district for registration.

A police team from the Area Police Office had taken Khatri into custody after locals complained of her presence at Basnet’s home. The locals had even protested outside the police office demanding action against the minister.

District Police Office Chief SP Suresh Kafle informed that Khatri is being detained at the police office and investigation is underway regarding the incident.

“We are further investigating the details,” said Kafle.

As per the complaint, Khatri had reached Ekraj Basnet’s house in Tulsipur Sub-metropolitan-5, Dang, when he was not at home. After Mina opened the door, Khatri burst in and asked for Ekraj claiming that he was her husband.

According to Mina, her husband Ekraj has not been in the house for the past four days and is out of contact.

Meanwhile, reports of an affair between Ekraj and minister Khatri had surfaced in August-September, 2021 after a photo of the duo was made public in a Facebook post. Both of them had denied being in a relationship during that time.

Oli was elected as a provincial assembly member from the then Nepal Communist Party (NCP) on November 30, 2019, during a by-election after she was given the party ticket following the demise of her husband Uttar Kumar Oli. Uttar Kumar, an elected lawmaker from the CPN-UML, had died in a car accident.

After the NCP was invalidated by the court, she joined the CPN (Maoist Centre).