Vehicle linked to RSP leader among those blocking three media houses

Three major media organizations in Kathmandu faced significant disruptions on Monday morning when vehicles were strategically parked to block their main gates. The coordinated act has sparked concerns about an attempt to intimidate independent journalism in Nepal.

“

He said he had come to meet an elder brother inside the office. I asked him to park elsewhere because he could not leave the vehicle there. He ignored my request, parked the car anyway and ran away.

Onlinekhabar, Himalaya Television, and Kantipur Media Group reported that their newsroom operations were halted for several hours. Eyewitnesses and media officials described drivers fleeing the scene after deliberately obstructing the entrances.

At Kantipur Media Group, a security guard reported that a masked man insisted on parking a car directly in front of the main gate, ignoring prohibitions. The vehicle, registered in the Bagmati Province and linked to Ravi Jaiswal, a businessman and member of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party's Central Research and Documentation Department, was later found abandoned. Jaiswal acknowledged ownership but stated a friend had borrowed the car.

“

That is my vehicle. My friend borrowed it yesterday. His phone is switched off. I cannot come to collect the vehicle immediately.

The blockage prevented journalists and staff from leaving the premises, trapping vehicles carrying essential camera equipment and hindering reporting activities across the city for about five hours. The registration numbers of the other two vehicles involved, blocking Onlinekhabar and Himalaya Television, were also reported.

“

Our journalists could not go out for reporting assignments. Even taking motorcycles out became difficult because the gate was completely blocked.