Kathmandu, An investigation has been launched against CPN-UML leader Mahesh Basnet under the Electronic Transactions Act. It has come to light that the Office of the District Government Attorney in Kathmandu has written to the Nepal Police's Cyber Bureau requesting further investigation into Basnet regarding offenses under the Act.

District Government Attorney of Kathmandu, Uday Chandra Adhikari, sent the official letter to the Cyber Bureau. The letter, written on Ashoj 5 (mid-September), was recently made public.

According to the letter, the investigation is based on a complaint filed by Januka Pathak, also known as Shobha Pathak.

The letter states:

“...Based on the accused Mahesh Basnet’s Facebook post where he metaphorically described the presence of a 'bear' running wild in Nepal’s politics, it appears that he used the derogatory term ‘bear’ in an abstract and disrespectful manner via electronic means. It is necessary to investigate whom the term was directed at and for what purpose. The accused should be asked to clarify in writing.”

In response, Mahesh Basnet has alleged an attempt to assassinate his character. He issued a public statement on Facebook, saying:

"The letter sent by the District Government Attorney's Office to the Cyber Bureau is being made public as an attempt to assassinate my character—something that has happened multiple times in the past."

He further claimed that the person who filed the complaint against him has herself repeatedly engaged in serious defamation, abusive language, status updates, and live broadcasts targeting him on social media. He added that multiple complaints have been filed against her, but no action has been taken so far.

Basnet also questioned the impartiality of the investigation:

"If abstract or symbolic expressions are to be made a subject of investigation, then the Home Minister himself and many others have carried out far more severe character attacks and cyber offenses through the cyber team they operate. Thousands of complaints will come to Nepal Police against them. Does the Home Minister have the courage to act on those? If not, remember, when you point a finger, three point back at you. We are ready to resist any kind of bias or prejudice.”