Three former employees of the District Administration Office in Syangja were arrested by police for allegedly falsifying government citizenship records. This occurred nearly two months after the administration submitted their investigation report.
The arrests took place on November 2, following continued pressure from the district administration and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The arrested individuals include former administrative officer Surya Prasad Sharma Paudel, accountant Ramesh Bik, and computer operator Bishnu Prasad Chapagain.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramesh Dutta Awasthi stated, “We arrested them on November 2 after the Syangja District Court issued arrest warrants.”
The court granted police five days to further investigate the case
The Syangja District Administration Office submitted the investigation report to police on September 11, requesting further investigation and legal action.
However, police did not report significant progress for almost two months.
On October 8, a complaint was filed through the Hello Sarkar grievance redressal mechanism, urging action due to the delay in the investigation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs subsequently contacted the district administration on October 14, requesting necessary action.
Chief District Officer Nirajan Ghimire said, “We reached out to police again on October 26, urging a swift investigation and updates on the progress.”
The arrests occurred about a week later, although police have not disclosed when the criminal case was registered or when the arrest warrants were issued.
Discovery of the Case
The alleged irregularities were uncovered while verifying documents at the District Administration Office in Kaski for issuing minor identity cards to two children.
During this verification, officials discovered that the children’s father, Prayasi Gurung, had obtained two citizenship certificates.
He received his first certificate from the Syangja administration on March 16, 2000, listing his permanent address in Arukharka-8, Syangja. Six months later, on September 10, 2000, he obtained another certificate from Kaski, with his address listed as Pokhara Lekhnath Metropolitan City-7.
Upon discovery of the dual certificates, the Kaski administration requested clarification from the Syangja administration regarding the legal grounds for the cancellation of the original certificate and any supporting documents.
Officials are accused of fabricating cancellation documents without proper authority.
Chief District Officer Ghimire stated, “Initial investigations suggest that the three staff members tampered with official records beyond their authority.”
The investigation revealed the specific roles of the three staff members: Ramesh Bik (accountant) allegedly created the documents, Bishnu Prasad Chapagain (computer operator) reportedly forged the signature of the then chief district officer, and Surya Prasad Sharma Paudel (administrative officer) allegedly certified the documents.
The documents falsely indicated that the original citizenship certificate had been officially cancelled.
CCTV footage recorded on August 31 showed activities related to the investigation.
A committee led by the assistant chief district officer was formed to investigate the incident. Based on their findings, the case was handed over to police for further investigation and legal action.
Concerns About the Police Investigation
Despite providing findings and evidence in September, it took nearly two months for police to arrest the suspects, leading to public complaints, intervention from the Home Ministry, and persistent communication from the district administration.
Despite these efforts, police officials have not released information regarding when the case was officially registered or when the arrest warrants were issued.
Investigations are ongoing, and the allegations against the three former staff members have yet to be proven.