By Our Reporter

With the revelation that the immigrant officers stationed at the Tribhuvan International Airport were making hefty money by promoting human trafficking in the collision of manpower agencies and political protection, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak is now in soup.

After the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority arrested Joint Secretary Tirtha Bhattarai stationed at the TIA immigration office for his involvement in sending Nepalis abroad on visit visas by collecting as much as Rs. 50,000 from each individual, the opposition parties have demanded the resignation of Home Minister Lekhak.

Bhattarai was deployed to the TIA office of immigration by Minister Lekhak, and his secretary was involved in the scam.  Media reports have it that Bhattarai and his gang were collecting Rs. 30 million a day from individuals flying overseas on visit visas to work abroad without receiving work permits. As Nepal has imposed a ban on sending women as migrant workers in many gulf countries, the manpower consultancies have been sending women to Gulf countries on visit visas and the employees of the immigration, police and others were helping them to fly, mostly in the mid-night by talking money ranging from Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 50,000 from each.

The money collected thus reportedly used to reach the power centre—secretaries of the Home Minister, Prime Minister and even the CIAA.

The revelation showed how the people close to powerful leaders were involved in the heinous crime of human trafficking. Earlier, former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand and UML secretary Top Bahadur Rayamajhi were arrested for sending Nepalis to the USA making them Bhutanese refugees.

The latest revelation has put the Home Minister in trouble. When the opposition parties are demanding his resignation and the public too has criticised him, he is in dilemma.

Opposition parties on Tuesday obstructed the meeting of the House of Representatives, preventing the presentation of an economy survey by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel.

Lawmakers from the main and other opposition parties stood in protest and demanded the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, citing the alleged involvement of his secretariat in corruption and irregularities at the Immigration Office of the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

Parties including the Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Centre), the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) disrupted proceedings, demanding the formation of a high-level commission to investigate alleged corruption related to the visit visa at the TIA immigration office.

Following the disruption, the meeting was adjourned for Wednesday.

Speaking in the parliament, RSP lawmaker Shishir Khanal demanded the establishment of a high-level investigation commission, alleging the Home Minister’s involvement in the visit visa scandal.

Barshaman Pun of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) also echoed demands for an independent investigation and accused the Home Minister’s secretariat of direct involvement.

Although both Nepali Congress and the CPN-UML have decided that there was no need to resign over the arrest of an employee. But Lekhak may not be able to bear the pressure of the opposition and the public. Moreover, he is dragged into controversy when the pro-royalist forces have announced their movement and the Home Ministry must maintain security. 

Worst it was when a few leaders within the NC including Shekhar Koirala publicly said that the Home Minister should step down and ease the investigation process. These developments show that Lekhak may quit his post in the near future.