Minister slaps CDO, keep denying the act.

Kathmandu, Nov. 17 , 2009

State Minister for Agriculture and co-operatives Karima Begam assaulted Durga Prasad Bhandari, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Parsa on Tuesday (Nov. 11) for sending her an old vehicle to receive at the airport.

"I was preparing to welcome her when she attacked me without hearing my explanation", Bhandari said. He claimed the vehicle to be in good condition. The vehicle Minister ordered was not available but Begam grabbed his collar and slapped him four times.
Begam was charged for assault, a legal complaint has been filed at the District Police Office against her under Public Offence Act for assaulting the CDO, and an arrest warrant has been issued for her said Police Inspector Bhuwaneshwor Sah. As the Minister returned to Kathmandu twenty minutes after the case was filed by Bhandari's bodyguard, the case was transferred to police in the Capital and Lalitpur.

Begam, however remained defiant under the face of criticism and ongoing protest by various groups. She even dared security personnel to arrest her. "I meet the police wherever I go. They show me respect. Who will arrest me? What I did was absolutely right," she justified her act.
She could be arrested only if Ministry of Home Affairs gives order but Minister Bhim Rawal could not do so without getting a go-ahead from the PM and the coalition partners in the government.

However, Minister for Home Affairs Bhim Bahadur Rawal, who had earlier condemned the act as going against her, gave an advice to Begam : You should have got hold of a few henchmen to beat the CDO. You should not have done it yourself. This has created problems for me".
Amidst the ongoing protest by civil servants of various districts, no action has been taken against her for more than a week. Instead, she said that she would take action against Bhandari and would not apologize as demanded by government. She, who accused Bhandari for being "irresponsible" earlier, accused him for "misconduct to her body".
"First he grabbed my hands against my will and tried to pull me into his chamber", she said. "It is the CDO who has to apologize", she added.

PM instructed her to accept her mistake in the incident and she conceded her weakness in front of him. He summoned her for clarification. After emerging from the PM's office the Minister, however denied admitting her fault. "I slapped him as he disobeyed and dishonored me", she parroted.