Kathmandu, May 8 -- January 30, Friday. Safal Karki was walking home. It was around 5 pm. Suddenly, a police team accosted him.

According to the statements given to the Kathmandu District Court by Karki, 24, the police asked him to "go home."

"I live nearby. I'm on my way," replied Karki, a resident of Machhapokhari in Kathmandu. Unbeknownst to him, his routine walk home was about to turn into a nightmare.

A team from the Balaju Police Circle detained him. An "emergency arrest warrant" was issued. The police report said Karki was "found in suspicious circumstances and during questioning about drugs, he got into a dispute, used abusive words, and obstructed police work."

He was charged with "indecent behaviour" towards the police. By t...