Police Search Durga Prasai’s Residence in Bhaktapur

Dragon Media Correspondent

Police have conducted a search at the Bhaktapur residence of medical entrepreneur and activist Durga Prasai, who also serves as coordinator of the Rashtra, Rashtriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti and Nagarik Bachau Mahaabhiyan.

A large number of uniformed and plainclothes police personnel were deployed at Prasai’s residence in Madhyapur Thimi on Thursday evening, where officers searched different rooms of the house. Prasai was at home during the operation, according to one of his aides.

The aide said around three dozen police personnel, including a superintendent of police and several deputy superintendents, had arrived at the residence. Some officers remained outside while others entered different rooms to conduct the search.

Police have not yet publicly disclosed the exact legal basis or investigation under which the search was carried out. It is also not immediately clear whether any materials were seized.

Earlier on Thursday, Prasai had presented a 12-point list of demands to the government and warned that protests would continue until the Cabinet approved the demands and moved toward implementation.

He had also said that citizens staging a sit-in at the premises of the National Human Rights Commission would return to their respective districts only after the government formally moved to implement the demands.

Prasai’s campaign has in recent months been closely associated with protests by victims of microfinance institutions and cooperatives. Government officials have accused him of encouraging unrest among affected groups, while Prasai has maintained that he is advocating on behalf of citizens who say they have suffered financial injustice.

Prasai has also claimed that he was recently called to Singha Durbar for talks with the government and was kept there until midnight under what he described as restrictive conditions. The government has not publicly provided a detailed response to that allegation.

Further clarity on Thursday’s police search is expected once authorities formally disclose the purpose of the operation, the legal grounds involved and whether any evidence or materials were taken into custody.