The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The Regional Office of Industry, Commerce and Employment based in Gelephu, in a letter dated on 31st July 2025, cancelled the ‘Organization of conventions and trade shows (including Event Management)’ license for the basement of the Damphu building owned by Rajen Tamang.
The license was in the named of Rajen’s wife, and Rajen was using it as a workaround to have religious gatherings in his basement saying that it was a paid for gathering, and hence allowed under the license with the Tsirang Dzongda not agreeing.
The license cancellation has happened based on a 29th July 2025 letter from the Tsirang Dzongkhag to the Regional Office, which in turn, concluded that the business has been found to be operating outside the approved scope of the licensed activity.
The Regional Office has cited the Trade and Industry Regulations 2023 and has essentially said the business is not operating as per the license given, not operating in areas designated by the Local Government and that the office has the power to cancel a license on its own or if gets a complaint, whereby there is prima facie evidence of a violation.
In the meantime, Rajen said that the Regional Office never asked for their side of the story or conducted a proper review, and just cancelled the license with no proper basis.
He said the gathering was a paid one with community members putting in the money, and there was even a signboard of the established called ‘Mercy Events.’ He said he plans to appeal the cancellation if it is allowed.
Meanwhile, Rajen has not had any religious gathering at the basement for the last few weeks, but is doing it in an apartment above.
He said there is no conversion going on at the event. He said he is willing to even sign an undertaking that it is following the Constitutional provision of no one being compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement. He said he is also willing to sign an undertaking that there will be no conversions at the gathering though new members who want to come and join will not be stopped.
Rajen said after a couple of weeks or more, he intends to have a gathering at the basement and if there is interference again then he will approach the court, as the court has clearly held the basement not to be a karaoke but a commercial space.
He said a store is not possible in the space as it has no car access, and he does not want to do a karaoke as it will disturb the neighbors.
