With just two weeks left till deadline, Nepal Gen Z protest probe panel says will summon KP Oli
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "With just two weeks left till deadline, Nepal Gen Z protest probe panel says will summon KP Oli")
Visuals from Nepal Gen Z protest (L), Ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli and home minister Ramesh Lekhak (R) Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP)
With its deadline looming, Nepal’s Gen Z protest probe has yet to question prime minister KP Oli and home minister Ramesh Lekhak. The commission now says summons are coming, as families demand accountability for 76 deaths and police defend their actions.
With barely two weeks left before its deadline, the commission probing the deaths and destruction during the September 8–9 Gen Z protests has yet to question the country's top political leadership from that period. However, a member of the commission told the Kathmandu Post that they were planning on summoning the-then prime minister KP Sharma Oli and home minister Ramesh Lekhak.
Oli to be summoned?
Neither Oli nor Lekhak have been summoned so far, even though both were in charge when security forces cracked down on protesters. A member of the panel said that it is likely to change soon.
The three-member commission, led by former Special Court chair Gauri Bahadur Karki, was formed on September 21 by the interim government headed by Sushila Karki. It was given three months to complete its investigation and submit a report. That window is closing fast.
Talking to Kathmandu Post, Bishweshwar Prasad Bhandari, a member of the probe commission, acknowledged that their tenure was coming to an end and said, "We are in the process of summoning the former prime minister and the home minister". Bhandari added that the panel could seek an extension if it fails to complete its work on schedule. He also stated that the law prohibits the commission from disclosing details of the investigation until it is concluded. "We are also bound by law, which prevents us from sharing details of the investigation before its end".
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So far, the panel has recorded statements from several police officers involved in the suppression of the protests. It has also questioned Rabi Lamichhane, though that inquiry focused narrowly on how he was released from Nakkhu Prison on September 9.
Police officers deployed during Gen Z protests grilled
At least 76 people were killed during the protests, including 19 unarmed youths shot dead on the first day alone. Families of the victims, Gen Z representatives and civil society figures argue that responsibility ultimately lies with the government of the day, and that the prime minister and home minister must be held to account.
According to spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma, more than 100 people have been called for general inquiry, with statements taken from around 30. He said, "We have almost completed recording the statements of all police officers deployed on September 8 and 9".
Some officers have argued they should not face legal action for following orders. One officer told the commission that police fired around 2,500 rounds during the protests, claiming the low number of fatal chest or head wounds showed there was no intent to kill.
Meanwhile, former Nepal Police inspector general Chandra Kuber Khapung has told the Supreme Court that police personnel cannot be disciplined for actions taken during the Gen Z movement. Responding to a writ petition seeking accountability, he said the force acted in good faith and within the law, and that responsibility for district-level law and order rests with chief district officers, not the police chief.
