RSP's Sunar faces scrutiny over circulating audio allegedly carrying abuse, death threat

A circulating audio recording that allegedly features Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmaker Khagendra Sunar hurling obscene abuse at a woman and threatening to kill her son has triggered a party investigation, even though neither the police nor the government has opened one of their own.

In the recording, which media outlets have circulated, a male voice insults a woman in obscene terms, threatens her son and makes degrading, unverified claims about the woman's personal life, OnlineKhabar reported. The speaker also uses sexually abusive language while referring to the woman's alleged associations with political leaders. Sunar denies that the voice is his. In a social media video, he said artificial intelligence or some other method may have been used to imitate his voice and implicate him.

If a woman faces threats like these, the National Women's Commission says she can file a complaint confidentially, without her name made public. Police say they act once a complaint is filed.

The case tests a question that reaches beyond one lawmaker, whether power buys silence when a recording appears to capture threats against a woman. The RSP leads the government, and Sunar is one of its lawmakers, Mohna Ansari, a lawyer and former chairperson of Nepal's National Women's Commission, pointed out. She said authorities cannot stay quiet once such an allegation is public. "If this incident is ignored, it will send a message that powerful people can do whatever they want, emboldening those who engage in such conduct," she told OnlineKhabar.

Nepal Police spokesperson Abhi Narayan Kafle said no one has filed a complaint about the recording. "We have not received a complaint from anywhere regarding this matter. If a complaint is filed, the police will proceed according to the legal process," he told OnlineKhabar. Krishnakumari Paudel Khatiwada, acting chairperson of the National Women's Commission, said the commission has also received no formal complaint.

Sunar's own party has moved faster than the state has. The RSP's Central Disciplinary Commission began collecting evidence on Tuesday, October 13, deputy commission chief Harichandra Bhattarai said. The party has also barred Sunar from formal public events while the matter is examined, OnlineKhabar reported. "We have been collecting evidence since this morning. We will verify the facts and reach a conclusion soon," Bhattarai told OnlineKhabar. RSP parliamentary party whip Prakash Chandra Pariyar said the party will not protect Sunar if the recording is proven genuine. Sunar was in Dang on party business as the commission tried to reach him, OnlineKhabar reported.

In his own video statement, Sunar said he is ready to cooperate with any investigation by the party or the state, and would accept suspension from the party or Parliament if needed, and legal consequences if wrongdoing is proven. "I am ready to answer every question raised by the public," he said. The recording's authenticity, and whether the voice is Sunar's, remains independently unverified.

The earlier warrants

The Surkhet District Court issued an arrest warrant on July 5, 2024, after Sunar was accused of assaulting Dr Sojan Sapkota, chief of Mehelkuna Hospital, and vandalising the building. Police had yet to arrest him in that case, the Kathmandu Post reported on October 27, 2025. The Kavrepalanchok District Court separately issued a warrant against Sunar in an electronic transactions case. The Supreme Court had also issued a show cause order in a contempt case accusing Sunar of verbally abusing High Court judges and vandalising court property, a case that remained pending, the Post reported. Those cases are separate from the current audio allegation and do not prove anything about it. But courts had ordered his arrest before, and police had not acted on at least one of those orders by October 2025, the Post reported. Sunar was not yet a lawmaker at that time. The Post described him then as a Dalit activist.

What we still do not know

• Whether the Surkhet and Kavrepalanchok warrants against Sunar remain open a year later. Nepal Police headquarters could confirm.
• Whether the woman linked to the recording and her son have any police protection. Spokesperson Abhi Narayan Kafle or the National Women's Commission could say.
• When an independent forensic check will establish whether the voice in the recording is Sunar's. The RSP disciplinary commission or police could confirm.
• Whether the government, as distinct from the party's own inquiry, will open a formal investigation. The Home Ministry or the Speaker's office could answer.