Student leader accused of embezzlement
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, Jan 2 - Students of Shanker Dev College have charged Dekraj Bhattarai, president of Free Students? Union (FSU) of embezzling more than a million rupees from the student funds meant for various educational and co-curricular activities of the college.Bhattarai has been accused of embezzling Rs 10,13,000 out of Rs 10,23,636 deposited with the Agricultural Development Bank as students? fund.Shanker Dev College FSU members disclosed the scandal at a press meet organized at the Reporters? Club Nepal Sunday. The press meet conducted amidst tight security, following threats from the Nepal Students? Union (NSU), a student wing of the ruling Nepali Congress (Democratic). Police were deployed at the venue of the meet following the threat.Talking to reporters, Binod Chandra Dahal, FSU member of the college said Bhattarai had asked Ramesh Khatri, the treasurer of FSU and Tilak Joshi, the chief college accountant to put fake stamps on a number of bills to show an audit report explaining that the money was spent on various college activities.
"Our college had not organized even a single event for a year after Bhattarai was elected to the college FSU as its chief," said Dahal.
The college FSU committee comprises 15 members, of which 11 are from the NSU (Democratic), while four from the CPN-UML-affiliated All Nepal National Free Students? Union.Students said they verified the signatures and stamps of five fake bills made by Bhattarai in the name of Anamol Catering at New Baneshwor but none of the bills matched the signatures and stamps.
One of the fake bills produced today at the press conference showed that Rs 72,000 was spent on "entertainment" alone and Rs 68,000 on medical treatment.
