Old Video, New Outrage: Jwala Sangraula’s 2021 Clash Goes Viral Again
चैत १०, २०८२ १४:५१
Kathmandu. A video of a police officer being commented on is currently making the rounds on social media. The police were allegedly humiliated simply for being Madhesi, which is why the video is receiving a lot of attention and criticism.
Social media users expressed concern after the video went viral, claiming that Nepali people have the freedom to travel and work anywhere in the nation. Additionally, they asked, “How much insult would ordinary Madhesis have to endure if the police are humiliated like this just because they are Madhesi?”
On the morning of March 19 at 7:25, a Facebook page named ‘Madhesh people’ released this video. The caption of the video reads, “When a police officer is humiliated this much because he is Madheshi, imagine what the ordinary Madheshi must go through 😞😞”
In the video, you can hear a woman saying, “Take action against us, but we will not let him stay here. We will transfer him, that's all.”
Some men from behind the camera asked the police: “What is your name? What is your full name?”
A person sitting with the police in the background said: Manikant Jha.
Man: Jha? Go to Madhesh now.
The police inspector, folding his hands, said: Yes, okay.
Man: Towards your home; it is easier too.
Another man: What's the problem, aren't there fields to cultivate?
Man: You should stick to farming; there’s no use working in traffic.
The logo of ‘Online news’ can be seen in the video. The video has been viewed more than 150,000 times.
After watching the video, Facebook user ‘Rabendra Kushwaha’ writes, “This is seen mostly in the hilly areas.”
Another user, Krishna Prasad Pandey, wrote, “It is not good to humiliate like this. He is Nepali and has the right to work anywhere in Nepal. Action should be taken against those who speak offensively.” Navaraj Tiwari also demanded action against the people who spoke in the video and said that any citizen has a constitutional right to work in any part of the country. However, several users claimed that because the video is brief, the true cause of the conflict is not shown, but the remarks made about the police based on geography and caste are completely wrong.
A Facebook page named ‘Nepal Yadav Youth Association’ has also condemned the behavior shown towards the police in that video. The caption of the video reads, “Which caste is this? Jha? Hey, go to Madhesh, do farming! — Such thoughts and words are still alive today. This is not just a joke; it is deep discrimination. This is not just words; it is an attack on identity. The question arises — how long will we continue to endure such insults?”
What is the reality of the viral video?
After the video went viral, we extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a Google reverse image search. We found video material published on ‘Online News’ on May 25, 2021, under the title “Recently, Jwala Sangraula’s near-skirmish with the police! Things got heated, this is how the Inspector explained things”.
At that time, a lockdown had been imposed in Nepal due to the second wave of COVID-19, which is why everyone in the video is wearing masks.
In the 25-minute, 2-second-long video, current House of Representatives member Jwala Sangraula, along with Sharmila Waiba and a few people dressed in press attire, appears to be angry. They can be seen being pacified by a police inspector. The badge worn by the inspector reads ‘Rabindra Kumar Shrestha.’ In the video, from 24:49 to 25:01, a statement is heard expressing an idea along the lines of “Go to Madhesh, stay there, and do farming.”
In the video, Jwala Sangraula and others have stated that they were going to Nuwakot with relief and medical supplies due to the spread of the COVID pandemic. During the journey, they appear to be angry with the police officials for allegedly taking control of the vehicle, issuing a ticket, and using abusive language.
Upon watching the video, it seems that the dispute started when the traffic police asked the driver for a license, and he did not have one and showed a photocopy instead. It is claimed by Sangraula and others that the police officer on duty (Prabhu Gautam) misbehaved with them, using abusive language.
They also claimed that when people tried to record a video of the police's behavior, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Manikant Jha threatened them by saying that they would file a cybercrime case for recording a video without a license
According to them, it is wrong for the police to use abusive language and intimidate people instead of being servants of the public. They argued that filming a police officer on duty in a public place is not a ‘cybercrime’ and is the right of citizens. They demanded that police officers who behave rudely should be held accountable.
As the dispute escalated, Police Inspector Rabindra Kumar Shrestha tried to handle the situation with restraint. He had promised to apologize as 'in-charge' if his junior employees had made a mistake and to make the guilty party aware of their mistake. However, even as the inspector was trying to explain, the video clearly captures the group making remarks, targeting ASI Jha, telling him to go to Madhesh and do farming.
Police Inspector Rabindra Kumar Shrestha defended certain police officers, claiming that their speech patterns might be a result of their lack of education, their rural upbringing, or work pressure. He has expressed a commitment to review the video evidence, caution the guilty personnel, and provide training to prevent such behavior in the future.
However, even when the police inspector reminds them, they are seen repeatedly arguing with ASI Jha. At the end of the same video, Sangraula can be heard warning Jha about a transfer and telling others to go to Madhesh and carry on with farming there.
Many people are now commenting on the short clip that has recently gone viral, assuming the police inspector is a Madhesi. However, the dispute was actually between ASI Manikant Jha and Sangraula's team, while Inspector Shrestha tried to mediate the conflict.
While the disputes were ongoing, Sangraula and Sharmila Waiba's group was found to have expressed the intention of telling ASI Jha to ‘go to Madhesh and do farming.” This video from about five years ago has now resurfaced on social media.
पछिल्लो अध्यावधिक: चैत १०, २०८२ १४:५१
