Religious leader Pushkar Khatiwada released on bail after 21 days

KATHMANDU: Pushkar Khatiwada, who had been identifying himself as a ‘religious leader,’ has been released on bail after 21 days.

He was arrested on July 29 and has now been granted bail with a bond of Rs 25,000.

Khatiwada was detained by the District Police Office Kathmandu for allegedly performing rituals with inauspicious intentions using photographs of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other political leaders.

He had posted a video on social media showing himself conducting a yajna (a Vedic ritual) at his home, where he was preparing to perform Yam Puja (a ritual for the deity of death) using the names of Prime Minister Oli and other leaders.