Karki-led probe commission recommends criminal charges against Oli, Lekhak, Khapung
Published: 12:50 pm Mar 26, 2026
KATHMANDU, MARCH 25 The probe commission formed under former Judge Gauri Bahadur Karki has recommended criminal indictment against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and then Inspector General of Police Chandra Kuber Khapung under Section 181 and 182 of National Penal Code for not preventing killings of Gen Z protesters on September 8. The 907-page Karki commission report exclusively obtained by Janaaastha.com states that these three individuals were responsible for not stopping use of force by the security personnel on September 8 and thus responsible for recklessness and negligence as provisioned in Article 181 and 182 of the National Penal Code. The probe report states: According to Section 182 of the National Penal Code, which provides for 'negligence' (acting without due care) leading to death, even after police bullets began taking the lives of Gen-Z protesters, the firing was not stopped for nearly four hours. This also appears to be an act of complete negligence. Despite call for making the Karki Commission report public by Gen Z leaders and rights activists, the government has not made the report public yet. Crimes under Section 181 and 182 of the National Penal Code carry punishment of three to 10 years jail term apart from fines of Rs 30,000. In the case of then Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal, then Chief of the National Investigation Department Hutraj Thapa, and then Chief District Officer Chhabilal Rijal, the probe commission recommended under Section 182 of the National Penal Code. The probe commission recommended action against AIGP Siddhi Bikram Shah, DIG Om Bahadur Rana, SSP Bishwo Adhikari, then serving SSP Deep Shumsher JB Rana, Superintendent of Police Rishiram Kandel action under Section 9 of Police Act and Rule 109 of Police Regulations. The probe commission recommended action against APF AIG Narayan Datta Paudel, DIG Suresh Kumar Shrestha, and Superintendent of Police Jeevan KC under Rule 112 of Armed Police Force Regulation. Apart from that, the commission recommends action against many other security personnel and TOB group under prevailing laws. The report states that although former PM Oli and former Home Minister Lekhak did not issue order to security personnel, in the governance system adopted by Nepal, the PM acts as the symbol of this system and is the executive head and the responsibility of taking credit for good work and bearing responsibility for shortcomings also ultimately falls on the PM. The probe commission states in its report that the PM should have coordinated between security agencies to manage or minimise the and ensure the effective deployment of security personnel, however, it does not appear that the PM took the necessary timely actions, even though there was information about the security situation. The commission said that in the incident of September 8, the increase in the number of casualties and injured persons is, in terms of responsibility, the responsibility of the Home Minister. The probe report states: then IGP Chandra Kuber Khapung instructed police personnel on duty through the police communication set, saying that 'if necessary, you should use necessary force without having to wait for further orders for a curfew.' This indicates that he signaled police officers to use force if required. This is further supported by the statement of the then Chief of the District Police Office, Kathmandu, now SSP Bishwa Adhikari. It said then Home Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi failed to fulfil his duty. Then Kathmandu CDO Chhabi Rijal did not appear to have given effective instructions to the security agencies under his authority to ensure the safety of the general public and to take steps to prevent casualties. Chief of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal also did not do enough to prevent killings on September 8. NID Chief Hutraj Thapa does not appear to have fully fulfilled his duties.' The commission states that although the firing started around 12:15 PM, it continued for nearly four hours in and around the Parliament building area. However, neither the PM nor his Home Minister appears to have made any effort to stop the firing. A total of 7,873 rounds of bullets were fired from various types of weapons. Out of these, 1,081 bullets were fired from SLR (self-loading rifle) automatic weapons. The commission said that in the decision made at 12:00 noon on September 8, as the situation was stated to be going out of control, a request was made for assistance from the army; however, it appears that support from the Nepali Army was not received. The commission said: If the Nepali Army had been deployed on time with armored vehicles around important buildings such as Singha Durbar and the President's residence (Sheetal Niwas), it would have been highly possible to prevent protesters from entering and to stop them outside, thereby protecting those structures. However, it appears that the Nepali Army, which holds full responsibility for security, was not able to be mobilized in a timely manner. The report states that , the money found in either burned or unburned condition at former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba's house, should be subjected to detailed investigation in accordance with the law. The commission states that although no other political objective of the TOB group has been identified, during the protest on September 8, this group however, incited the crowd and there is no solid evidence available to say that the Gen-Z movement is being operated from abroad. The commission said that on September 9 all security agencies operated within their own chains of command, but they lacked a unified command. The commission said that a security vacuum emerged in the country, leading to a situation of disorder, and individuals with criminal tendencies took the opportunity to carry out looting and arson. Regarding Rastriya Swatantra Party Chief Rabi Lamichhane coming out of Nakkhu prison on September 9, the commission stated in its report that some individuals coerced the prison chief into signing a document regarding the release of Rabi Lamichhane from prison. The commission said that it found that only after formally receiving the signed document did Rabi Lamichhane get into a vehicle and leave the prison.