Former lawmaker Amanlal Modi’s former personal secretary has been arrested in connection with vandalism and arson during the GenZ movement on Bhadau 24. Tajim Ansari, who served as the personal secretary to Modi — then a Member of Parliament in the dissolved House of Representatives from the Maoist Centre (now the Nepal Communist Party) — was arrested on charges of involvement in the incidents.
Ansari and four others were detained on Sunday for allegedly vandalising and setting fire to the Morang District Court and several other government offices. According to Morang Police, the arrested individuals are Ansari, Mahesh Nepal, Aawas Paudel, Rajiv Yadav and Arun Sah Sonar.
At the time of the arson, Ansari was serving as Modi’s personal secretary. He had also held the same role when Modi was a minister. Video footage showing his direct involvement in the incident had surfaced earlier.
Another widely circulated video showed Ansari wearing a Nepal Police cap and celebrating inside the Koshi Provincial Assembly building during the vandalism and arson. Police sources said the five individuals were also involved in setting fire to buildings of the court, the metropolitan office and other government institutions in Biratnagar.
Police further stated that Ansari and his group had infiltrated the movement and encouraged youths to engage in arson and anarchic activities. A total of 21 individuals linked to arson attacks on government buildings in Morang had already been arrested earlier.
Former lawmaker Modi clarified that Ansari is no longer his personal secretary. “When I was a minister, he served as my personal secretary. But recently, he has not held that position. Vinod Singh is my secretary now,” Modi said.
