Tortured scribe compensated

The District Administration Office, Dhankuta, provided Rs 20,000 as compensation to journalist Ambika Bhandari, who was tortured by the police for allegedly being a Maoist. CDO Nava Raj Upadhyaya handed over the cash to Bhandari in accordance with an Appellate Court verdict that was issued earlier in her favour.Bhandari, who had been reporting from Dhankuta for the Janaastha Weekly, was arrested on December 16, 2001 under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Control and Punishment Ordinance (TADO). She was held in police custody till April 18, 2003, where she was tortured.Bhandari, who hails from Kuruletenupa VDC-2, filed a lawsuit in the District Court on May 22, 2003 under the Compensation Related to Torture Act 2053 against the DAO and the district police office, Dhankuta. A bench of the District Court judge Hari Kumar Pokhrel had issued a verdict that a sum of Rs 20,000 be given to her.