Kathmandu: The Nepal Police Cyber Bureau has directed Nepali Congress leader Ajay Babu Siwakoti to appear before it over a post he made on social media, The Kathmandu Post reported on Thursday. Siwakoti said the police are trying to intimidate him.

Source: The Kathmandu Post via EIN News Monitoring

Siwakoti, who is currently away on a religious pilgrimage, received a call instructing him to appear at the Cyber Bureau, according to reports. He announced on social media that he would attend after returning to Kathmandu. "I am returning to Kathmandu, so I will attend," he stated, adding: "I will not be intimidated. I'm returning to Kathmandu, so the police need not search for me." He also criticised the government for attempting to "rule through fear."

Source: 2days Bulletin

Sources at the Cyber Bureau indicated that Siwakoti was summoned following a complaint from journalist Roshan Khadka. The specifics of the allegations and the legal framework being applied remain unclear, the report said. Being called for questioning does not imply wrongdoing.

The summons comes amid heightened political controversy over an audio tape reportedly linked to Inam Sapkota, who is currently in police custody. Siwakoti had commented on social media about the claims and the handling of information related to the tape, and accused the government of dragging the Nepali Congress into unnecessary controversies. The Nepali Congress has called for an independent and impartial investigation into the audio tape and has questioned whether it has been edited.

Separately, the secretariat of Congress president Gagan Kumar Thapa has raised concerns about alleged surveillance of the party leader, and rumours about Thapa's possible arrest have circulated widely, according to a Nepal Times Media report. Central Investigation Bureau chief AIG Uma Prasad Chaturvedi has said his office has received no instruction regarding Thapa's arrest. The development further intensifies tensions between the opposition Nepali Congress and the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah.