A silent compromise at the Damphu building

The basement of the Damphu building had been in the news since last year in a stand off between the building owner, Rajen Tamang, conducting religious gatherings in the basement of the building, and the Tsirang Dzongkhag Administration and municipality under the Dzongda saying the basement was only cleared as a Karaoke hall.

At one stage, the municipality even cut off water and electricity to the whole building for continuing to have the gatherings despite orders from the Dzongkhag and Municipality, and Rajen had to go to court to restore power and water.

The case even went to court, but the court verdict was interpreted differently by both sides, the police was also sent to prevent any gathering at the hall, and even the event management license for the hall was cancelled by the Gelephu Regional Office of Industry, Commerce and Employment office based on the complaint of the Dzongkhag. Rajen had threatened legal action in response.

Today, an unspoken compromise of sorts has been reached between both sides that developed over the last few months.

Rajen is no longer conducting his religious gatherings every Sunday at the basement as desired by the Dzongkhag Administration and Municipality, but he is doing it in his own apartment in his sitting room.

“It gets a bit difficult, but we have been doing the Sunday gatherings of 30 to 40 people in my apartment for the last few months,” said Rajen.

He said the basement is empty as of now, and he does not plan to use it for religious gatherings. He said the municipality had earlier said he can use it as a karaoke or storage site, but he said they do not plan to have a karaoke.

The Dzongkhag had been sending its staff in the past on Sundays to check if the basement is being used, but this stopped in the last few months.

Rajen said he does not plan to go to court again and said this is a compromise of sorts.

It seems the Dzongkhag and Municipality also did not want to escalate matters after Rajen stopped having gatherings in the basement, and so Rajen has not received any summons or letters since then too.

Without either side saying anything, a silent compromise of sorts has been reached where Rajen does not use his basement hall for the religious gatherings but hosts them in his own sitting room.

Background

The issue began on 11th July 2024 when the Tsirang Dzongda summoned building owner Rajen Tamang and verbally warned him against holding unauthorized gatherings. Rajen said he had tried to get permission, but was denied because his faith is not registered with the Chhoedey Lhentshog. The Dzongkhag administration believed the particular religion was spreading, and Rajen’s Sunday gatherings in a new building in the middle of Damphu town drew attention due to parked cars and regular attendance.

Rajen maintained that no conversion took place and said he was willing to face legal action if any proselytization was proven. As gatherings continued in what he considered a private indoor space, the Dzongda issued two letters on 8th October 2024, one stating that unauthorized public gatherings were not allowed, and another warning that his karaoke hall was being used for unapproved purposes, with possible water and power cuts.

Water was disconnected on 15th October 2024, followed by electricity on 28th October 2024, on the orders of the Dzongda in his capacity as Municipal Chairman. Rajen filed a case on 29th  October 2024 requesting reconnection and compensation. On 3rd December 2024, the Court ordered reconnection during the trial, noting that the disconnection affected the whole building.

The Tsirang Court’s verdict in May 2025 made the reconnection order permanent. The Dzongkhag sought a Nu 450,000 fine for alleged misuse of the premises under entertainment regulations, but the Court denied it, stating there was no evidence the basement was specifically approved as a karaoke bar. The Dzongkhag also complained that Rajen’s communication with The Bhutanese harmed its image and asked the Court to stop the coverage and make Rajen apologise. The Court refused, citing freedom of expression under Article 7 of the Constitution, and advised both parties to comply with relevant laws.

The verdict did not touch on the religious-gathering issue, as the Court earlier directed Rajen to file a constitutional case.

Rajen filed in the High Court in November 2024, seeking recognition of his right to hold gatherings under freedom of religion. The High Court dismissed it, stating the matter fell under municipal laws, not constitutional questions.

After the District Court ruling, Rajen obtained an event management licence from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Employment on 21st May 2025, using his wife’s name to continue Sunday gatherings.

However, on 6th July 2025, police arrived during a gathering of 40–50 people and told his wife to stop the event or face arrest, stating the licence did not permit religious gatherings and that they were acting under the Dzongda’s orders.

On 31st July 2025, the Regional Office in Gelephu cancelled the event management licence, following a 29 July 2025 request from the Tsirang Dzongkhag claiming the business was operating outside the approved scope. Rajen initially considered filing another case, but is no longer pursuing legal action.