Actress Surakshya Panta has been facing increasing harassment on social media following her remarks during an interview aired on April 20. During the interview aired on The Prakash Subedi Show on the Rajatpat Online TV, host Prakash Subedi asked Panta whether she recognized Hridayendra Shah, the grandson of former King Gyanendra. Actress Panta first got confused by the name, later recognized him and said that since many people admire him and he is good-looking, he could join the film industry. Her comments initiated a wave of backlash on social media, particularly from pro-monarchist groups. The hashtag campaign #BoycottSurakshyaPanta was launched, with calls to boycott her upcoming film. “An individual’s comments during an interview reflect her personal views. Every citizen has rights to speech,” said Taranath Dahal, Executive Chief of Freedom Forum, “Such coordinated attacks aimed at harming her career could create fear among other artists and contribute to self-censorship.” Freedom Forum expresses serious concern over the intimidation the actress is facing online. The incident is a violation of the citizen’s right to free speech and highlights a worrying trend where individuals expressing critical opinions in digital spaces become targets. For more, Freedom Forum
Freedom Forum is a prominent non-governmental organization in Nepal dedicated to institutionalizing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, right to information, promoting audit accountability, open and accountable budget, public finance reforms, citizen engagement in public finance management and citizen participation in audit. Established in February 2005, the organization emerged in response to the political turmoil following Former King Gyanendra’s coup dated February 1, 2005, which imposed severe restrictions on media and democratic rights. A group of media professionals, legal experts, and academics founded Freedom Forum to safeguard Nepal’s hard-earned democratic freedoms during this repressive period.
