(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On the night of 16 July 2004, Nepal Police officials raided and vandalised the control rooms of six cable television networks, disrupting transmission to over 12,000 households in Kathmandu. The affected stations included Subisu Cable Television Network, Blue Himalayan Cable TV Network, Cable TV Network of Nepal, Sky Cable TV Network and the […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On the night of 16 July 2004, Nepal Police officials raided and vandalised the control rooms of six cable television networks, disrupting transmission to over 12,000 households in Kathmandu. The affected stations included Subisu Cable Television Network, Blue Himalayan Cable TV Network, Cable TV Network of Nepal, Sky Cable TV Network and the High Himalayan Cable TV Networks in Maitidevi and Dallu.
Representatives of the television stations said police teams equipped with cutting tools broke into the control rooms without search warrants, randomly cut network wires and left with transmission boxes. The stations estimate damages at Rs 9 million (approx. US$127,300). Of the affected stations, only Subisu TV is currently operational. The other stations said repairs would take at least five days before normal operations could resume.
“The Kathmandu Post” daily quoted Police Superintendent Deepak Ranjit, Hanumandhoka district police chief, as saying, “The steps were taken after police received written complaints from the Cable TV Network Association of Nepal about the involvement of six cable TV networks in tax fraud, misuse of the Nepal Telecom Authority’s communications infrastructure, distribution of more cable lines than permitted, and import of TV networking equipment by evading customs.”
The Cable TV Network Association denied filing complaints against the stations. The director general of the Revenues Investigation Department, Deep Basnet, also denied that his department had urged the police to take action. The reasons for the police action remain unknown.
CEHURDES condemned the police action against the television networks and urged the chief of police to take action against the officials involved. The organisation further called on the Nepal Police to guarantee the free flow of information and respect the rule of law.
