An agitated Nepalese lawmaker took off his shirt in the House of Representatives for not being allowed to speak, amidst a heated discussion over the fake refugee scam that apparently involves top former home ministry officials.
Nepal Police are investigating the scam related to the trafficking of Nepalese nationals as Bhutanese refugees abroad.
Amaresh Singh, an independent member of the House of Representatives, took off his shirt as Speaker Devraj Ghimire did not allot a slot for him to speak at the beginning of the meeting.
As Mr. Singh took off the clothes and exposed the upper parts of his body, Speaker Ghimire warned him of action according to parliamentary rules if he did not behave politely in the House. Following the Speaker’s warning, Mr. Singh put on the clothes.
The scam also involves a former senior minister and other top-level former government officers.
CPN-UML secretary and former deputy prime minister Top Bahadur Rayamaji was absconding after the Kathmandu District Court issued an arrest warrant against him in the case.
CPN-UML president and former premier K.P. Sharma Oli met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda at his official residence twice to discuss the matter after police issued a search warrant against Rayamajhi.
Police have already detained Rayamajhi’s son, Sandeep, and six other individuals allegedly involved in the racket.
Those arrested by the police include former home secretary Tek Narayan Pandey and Indrajit Rai, who served as security advisor to former home minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, who is also a senior leader of the CPN-UML.
Police said that they were actively involved in helping Nepalese forge documents in order for their migration to the United States as Bhutanese refugees.
The U.S. and some Western countries have, as a big relief to the Nepal government, accepted around 1,00,000 thousand Bhutanese refugees who had taken shelter in eastern Nepal districts for decades after entering Nepal in the 1990s.
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