KATHMANDU, Nov 9: Rajiv Gurung, popularly known as Deepak Manange, and Milan Gurung, popularly known as Chakre Milan, who earned notoriety as rival gangsters in the capital in the 2000s, are currently in the spotlight again, but not for any criminal activities. The gangsters hit the headlines after the Supreme Court recently upheld a sentence on Manange for an attempted murder of Gurung in a case that dates back to the 2000s.
After entering politics, Manange often said during interviews, “I am not Gangster Manange, I am Minister Manange.” Although he was not affiliated to any political party during his active days as a gangster leader, Manange has been a member of one party or another since 2011. He joined Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) in 2011-12 and went on to become the chairman of the Manang district chapter of the party and later defected to the CPN-UML before the 2017 local elections.
After making it to the provincial assembly as the winner of the election from Manang (B) constituency as an independent candidate, he has been a key figure in the formation and dissolution of the Gandaki provincial government. He has served as a minister from three different parties: CPN-UML, Nepali Congress, and CPN (Unified Socialist).
His rise to power as a minister, especially in light of his criminal past, was met with criticism from many. Merely three months ago, Manange was still seen as a key player in the Gandaki Provincial Assembly, where he was influential in both stabilizing and destabilizing the government. He also sparked controversy by allegedly "putting his ministry up for auction."
After the Supreme Court's ruling last Tuesday, Manange has gone underground. Following the verdict, not only has he lost his parliamentary seat, but he also has to serve a sentence for the crime committed 20 years ago. Currently, apart from a few close associates, no one knows where he is. However, he issued a statement on Friday, informing that he would appear in court once the full text of the verdict is released.
"I became aware of the verdict in my case, which was decided on November 5, through my legal representatives who were handling my case,” he stated, “After that, I instructed my legal team to obtain a copy of the verdict, but I was informed that the court is yet to issue the full text of the verdict."
AK-47 security to Chakre Milan in Nepalgunj
Although the Supreme Court's verdict resulted in him losing his parliamentary seat, Manange used the letterhead of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly when issuing his statement. "I have been seriously concerned about the news and comments written about me in various newspapers and on social media in recent days," his statement read. Manange has also stated he had turned off his mobile phone for some time after the verdict was issued due to continuous calls from ‘sub-standard’ media.
A bench of Supreme Court justices Nahakul Subedi and Tek Prasad Dhungana upheld the verdict of the then Appellate Court (now High Court) of Patan in the case related to attempted murder of Gurung. Upon realizing that the police were searching for him, he issued the statement without revealing his whereabouts.
Manange faced legal action after he severed the hand of his contemporary gangster Gurung, popularly known as Chakre Milan with a sword in 2004. The case, which started at the Kathmandu District Court, eventually reached the then Appellate Court in Patan. In the case of attempted murder, the Appellate Court in Patan found Manange and his group guilty in 2012.
The court also found Ganesh Lama, Rewat Karki, Ramesh Sunuwar, and Umesh Lama, who were involved in the gang fight alongside Manange, guilty of the attempted murder. Lama is currently active in politics from the Nepali Congress. Apart from Manange, the others appealed the verdict of the then Appellate Court. On January 16, 2018, a joint bench of Supreme Court Justices Dipak Raj Joshi and Purushottam Bhandari acquitted them. After being acquitted, Ganesh Lama, who later became a central member of the Nepali Congress, contested elections from Kavre.
Manage has already served two years in jail as per the verdict of the Kathmandu District Court after his arrest in March 2005. He was released from jail in January 2007.
The government appealed the district court's decision, arguing that Manange's sentence was too lenient. Following this, the then Appellate Court in Patan, on August 12, 2012, overturned parts of the district court's verdict and sentenced Manange to five years in prison. The Supreme Court upheld the same verdict against Manange.
In the 2000s, the gangsters duo Manange and Chakre were notorious in the Kathmandu Valley for their involvement in extorting money from businesses, threatening them, and collecting weekly protection fees from nighttime businesses. Both controlled their own territories and had expanded their criminal networks across the country.
The network still exists today. Manange's territories were in Thamel and Durbar Marg, while Chakre's territories were in Chakrapath, Bansbari, Maitidevi, and Buspark. They had significant influence in the construction and manpower businesses. As they expanded their territories, clashes between them would occur frequently.
In early 2004, there was a gang fight between the two groups near the Jai Nepal Cinema Hall in the capital followed by a series of reprisals. On May 13, 2004, the Chakre group attacked the Manange group and attempted to enter Thamel, which was considered Manange's stronghold. Taking it as a matter of 'ego,' Manange, along with Ganesh Lama, Kumar Ghaite, and their group, launched an attack on Chakre’s group.
On July 25, 2004, while Chakre was sitting at the Chu Fang Restaurant in Panipokhari, the Manange group arrived there and launched an attack and cut Chakre’s hand. The severed hand was reattached at the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, but it no longer functions properly. Chakre himself being a gang leader did not file a police complaint against Manange, but his wife Indira Gurung filed a complaint at the District Police Office in Hanuman Dhoka on July 26, 2004.
At that time, the police also presented several members of Manange's group, including Pankaj Saru, Raju Shrestha, Sanjeev Dangol, Sajan Gurung, Ravi Basnet, and Mangal Shrestha, as defendants in court.
In 2018, Manange was arrested once again. Back then, the police attempted to kill him in an 'encounter', but he survived. During that period, other gangster leaders including Ghainte and Dinesh Adhikari 'Chari' were killed in police encounters. After the deaths of Ghainte and Chari, both Chakre and Manange became fugitives. Chakre then aligned himself with the youth wing of the CPN-UML. He then had planned to run for election from Gorkha, but UML did not provide him the ticket.
Manange, on the other hand, contested elections as an independent candidate and was elected as a member of the Gandaki Provincial Assembly from Manang in both the 2017 and 2022 elections. In 2017, he won the provincial assembly seat with the support of the CPN-UML. He has served as a minister in the Gandaki Provincial Government seven times.
