Kathmandu: House of Representatives (HoR) member and Nagarik Unmukti Party Whip Arun Kumar Chaudhary has been sent to jail. Lawmaker Chaudhary had been absconding for nine years. He was arrested on Thursday from Banke and presented before the Kailali District Court on Friday before sending him to Dhangadhi jail with the completion of required procedures.
Chaudhary was elected a member of the House of Representatives from Kailali-2 during the November 20 elections. A case was filed against three people, including Chaudhary, in the Kailali District Court on August 18, 2010 on charge of setting a tractor on fire on August 19, 2009. The court on April 22, 2013 convicted him of the offense and sentenced the three with a jail term of six months. The court also ordered them to compensate the victim with Rs 818,423.
Meanwhile, Nagarik Unmukti Party has demanded early release of Chaudhary and warned that the government and the concerned authorities would be responsible for the consequences if Chaudhary is not immediately released. Issuing a statement on Thursday, the party has said his arrest could lead to protests and agitation. “Do not force us to launch protests,” says the statement. “He has not been a fugitive. He contested local, provincial and federal parliament elections four times in this period. What was the Election Commission and the state doing all this while? Why was this matter revived after he won the federal parliament election? Why this prejudice?”
The party has also warned to withdraw support to the government over the matter.
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