Kathmandu, October 31, 2026 — The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has called a secretariat meeting for Saturday following the arrest of several journalists over their news coverage on Friday.
The meeting is scheduled for 11:00 AM at the party’s central office and will be chaired by RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane.
The arrests have drawn widespread criticism, with questions raised over the government's role in the police action against journalists.
Shortly after the arrests, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said it had neither instructed police to arrest the journalists nor been informed about the deployment of plainclothes officers to media offices.
However, Nepal Police issued a statement around midnight on Friday saying its Cyber Bureau had called journalists to its office following concerns raised by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The differing statements from the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and Nepal Police have created conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the action against the journalists.
RSP Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has taken the oath as a central secretariat member after being elected to the party’s central committee with 2,123 votes.
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RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane urged the state to provide medical care, family support and rehabilitation for Gen Z movement victims, while calling for constructive youth vigilance and rule of law.
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RSP lawmaker Khagendra Sunar and Nepal Police chief Dan Bahadur Karki clashed during a Public Accounts Committee meeting, prompting Speaker Dol Prasad Aryal to address parliamentary decorum.
14-AUG-2026 06:45 PM
RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane, his wife Nikita and Minister Pratibha Rawal have departed for a three-day private religious visit to India, including Kainchi Dham and Kamakhya Temple.
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The Rastriya Swatantra Party has opened applications for aspiring municipal election candidates, including mayors, deputy mayors, ward chairpersons and ward members, through its mobile application.
16-OCT-2026 01:10 PM
Prime Minister Balendra Shah travelled from Kathmandu to Pokhara by road Friday and plans to visit Mustang privately, while missing an RSP Central Committee meeting on election preparations.
21-AUG-2026 02:11 PM