CDO action sparks Customs’ protest
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BIRATNAGAR, JUL 08 - The arrest of a customs officer in Biratnagar provoked nationwide shutting down of major customs offices by staffers and agents on Wednesday. Customs offices in Biratnagar, Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Kakadbhitta, Tatopani, Birgunj Dry Port and Tribhuvan International Airport, among others, have been closed for an indefinite period.
Morang Chief District Officer Shashi Shekhar Shrestha took control of Biratnagar Customs Officer Man Bahadur Poudel and his family members at midnight on Tuesday in a manner of abduction for not speaking in the his favour at the court on a case of factory raid. Shrestha had stormed Poudel’s house as the latter spoke against the CDO’s unilateral raid on Bishal Chemical that produces Gutka on June 25 without representation of officials from inland revenue, customs and revenue investigation offices.
As per the law, the CDO has no right to raid to check
tax evasion. Factory Proprietor Suresh Jain had filed a writ in Biratnagar Appellate Court against the CDO’s action demanding a prohibitory order.
Responding to his writ, a joint bench of judges Janardan Bahadur Khadka and Dwarika Man Joshi issued an interim order on Tuesday telling the CDO not to arrest the writ petitioner, not to shut down factory and not to do things that affect the factory adversely given that the Revenue Investigation Office had started a probe into the matter.
The court’s decision provoked the CDO to set on Poudel who did not speak in Shrestha’s line. Following the court order, Shrestha asked Armed Police Force SPs Krishna Thapa and Rajendra Basnet as well as Morang Police Chief Deepak Thapa to arrest Poudel.
The police team arrested Poudel, his wife Ganita and five-year-old son Subham and took them away to the CDO’s quarter.
Poudel said the CDO had used obscene language before his family members and threatened him. “The CDO threatened me of burying alive within 24 hours on the accusation of speaking against his interest in the court,” he added.
“I asked him not to torture me by misbehaving before my family members,” he said. “I asked him to shoot me instead. In response, he said he could do even that.”
CDO Shrestha later said he only called the customs officer for a probe and did not misbehave with him. “I sent a police vehicle to ensure his security,” he added.
According to Biratnagar Customs Chief Officer Mitra Lal Regmi, he had reached the CDO’s residence along with officers Gopal Khatri and Rajendra Chudal after Poudel was taken under control.
“The CDO talked to us abusively for four hours,” said Regmi, adding that the CDO had threatened to not let the APF secure the customs offices while asking them to collect revenue in their absence.
Posted on: 2010-07-08 08:44
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