I was waiting for my friend Krishna KC who was the former vice-chairman of All Nepal National Free Students' Union (Revolutionary) at Koteswor on 17 August. As soon he appeared, a lanky figure tried to obstruct his way. Before I could make out what was happening, another fellow held me by my neck. He was pointing a pistol at my temple and I was already shaking with fear. I showed them my identity card and shouted that I was a journalist. But they snatched the card and a book I was carrying. I was handcuffed and blindfolded. A vehicle arrived at the scene and I was carried inside. A weighty sack was loaded on me so that I could not move. I couldn't see Krishna, but I knew he was in the same vehicle. "Hand over your mobiles or pagers to us," said a voice. "Do you have any weapons?" KC said, "How can we have weapons? It is you who have the weapons." In response, we received several blows. We stopped, I was separated from Krishna and taken to a room for interrogation. They asked me what position I had in the Maoist fold. "You guerrilla, how many persons have you killed so far?" were the kind of questions they asked. I wasn't a guerrilla, so I couldn't answer that question. They used sticks, fists and kicks. The torture continued for several hours, I was weak and fell off the chair. Then their questions were: How do Maoists contact journalists? What are the news sources of Jana Astha?

Now that I am free, I am proud that I never revealed my news sources to them. When the food came I could hardly eat because my face had swollen up. I vomited whatever little I ate. I never knew whether it was day or night because I was blindfolded throughout the ordeal.

Since they kept me asking the same questions round the clock, I decided not to eat, thinking that without food I would fall ill and need need medical attention at a civil hospital from where my state would become public. When I resorted to fasting, many of them came to me and threatened that I would suffer and die. I decided to have food to see if they kept their words.

Then they made me change my shirt and put on dark glasses and a hat before driving off with me. I was finally freed at the Dhumabarhi section of Ring Road after five days in their custody.