Khagendra Basnet, distributor of a local daily called Nigarani, was threatened on 22 August in eastern Nepal. According to reports, the individual harassed Basnet and threatened to burn down the daily’s facilities on the account of a cartoon published in the newspaper’s satirical section, Gaijatre. The section is named after the Gaijatre festival, also known as the festival of cows, in which important and powerful members of society are mocked.
Nepali journalist Kishor Budhathoki was brutally assaulted in eastern Nepal on 11 August. According to Republica, Budhathoki was attacked for a piece he wrote about domestic violence. He is currently in a critical condition. Budhatoki writes for The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Post, and also serves as vice president of the local chapter of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, a press freedom watchdog.
Chief editor Ram Pukar Raut, and editor Pravin Sharma Jha, of the New Times Today have been arrested by police in the Southern Nepalese district of Rautahat. They were charged with having links with a militant underground group, and printing a press release from the group. Sources from the newspaper assert that the arrests were a response to an article in the newspaper alleging that the police had taken bribes from an animal smuggler.
The Nepalese government has banned a social studies textbook after complaints from Muslim groups. The book has been criticised for including factual inaccuracies and an “erroneous interpretation” of Islam: one particular illustration is alleged to portray a feminised image of the prophet Mohammed. This marks the first time religious outcry has caused the banning of a book in Nepal, where Hinduism was removed from its position at the state religion in 2006.