The land-grabbing and capture case of the prestigious public institution, Hari Khetan Multiple Campus, has taken a highly critical and controversial turn. The local community and stakeholders are in severe outrage after evidence emerged that a specific business syndicate has completely seized control of billions worth of community property, subjecting the institution to aggressive ethnic monopolization ('Marwarization').

Paradoxically, instead of bringing the main mastermind behind this illegal property capture to justice, the police administration has aggressively cracked down on conservationists, civil rights activists, and protesting employees who raised their voices to save the campus. Although the activists were recently released on bail, the false criminal cases against them remain ongoing.

4 Out of 6 Committee Members From a Single Community: The Naked Form of 'Marwarization'

The prestigious Hari Khetan Multiple Campus is not a private enterprise; it is a shared community asset belonging to the citizens of Birgunj. However, the current Chairman, Prem Prakash Khetan, has completely trampled over the institution's values to establish absolute communal dominance within the management committee. By placing 4 Marwari members—including himself—out of a total 6 board positions, he faces massive backlash for running a familial and caste-based monopoly.

The Current Disputed Management Committee is as follows:

  • Prem Prakash Khetan – Chairman (Marwari)

  • Dr. Ramawatar Khetan – Member (Marwari)

  • Jay Prakash Khetan – Member (Marwari)

  • Sunil Kumar Khetan – Member (Marwari)

  • Ved Prakash Karki – Member (Non-Marwari)

  • Kishori Ray – Member (Non-Marwari)

"Infiltrating a public community institution with individuals from a single clique to pass resolutions against public welfare has triggered fierce local resistance against what is being called the absolute 'Marwarization of community property.'"

PP Khetan Remains Silent; 'Fat Envelopes' Circulate in Administrative Bodies!

When contacted to obtain his official stance on these deep-seated controversies, the constitutional manipulation, and the campus capture, the Chairman of Hari Khetan Multiple Campus, Prem Prakash (PP) Khetan, refused to comment. He chose to evade the press entirely, a silence that stakeholders claim further confirms his ulterior motives and guilt.

Meanwhile, as the dispute has reached a boiling point and regulatory watchdogs have intensified scrutiny, an underground operation has reportedly commenced within Birgunj’s political and administrative circles. Highly placed sources reveal that agents close to PP Khetan are actively visiting administrative and regulatory offices, carrying 'fat envelopes' (indicative of heavy financial bribes) to sweep the campus dispute under the rug and legitimize the illegal capture.

Police Batons on Protesters: The Administration's Double Standard

The local administration has unleashed brutal suppression against the local community, civil rights activists, and campus employees who took to the streets to protect the campus from privatization. Instead of arresting those orchestrating the illegal grab, the Nepal Police has actively targeted individuals fighting for civic rights, detaining them under fabricated charges.

Prominent conservationists and civil rights leaders Devlal Thakur (Staff) and Dilip Kumar Pandit (Teacher) were among those arrested by the police. Frontline defenders of the campus were kept in detention under fabricated charges of 'indecent behavior.' While they have managed to secure bail recently, they remain trapped in legal crosshairs with ongoing court cases.

When questioned about this heavy-handedness, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Parsa, Bhola Dahal, claimed that the arrests and legal actions were executed strictly in accordance with the law.

However, civil society has fiercely condemned the administration’s actions as the ultimate manifestation of a double standard—granting immunity to the guilty while penalizing the innocent. It raises a haunting question: How is Prem Prakash Khetan, who masterminded the multi-billion asset capture, sitting safely in Kathmandu while the sons of Birgunj face state persecution for trying to protect their own community campus? Has the state apparatus itself fallen prey to the allure of fat envelopes?