Karki Commission Report Details Widespread Violence and Casualties During Recent Protests in Koshi Province

Biratnagar. On Bhadra 23 and 24, 2082, the state's security apparatus, information system, and command control were completely undermined in Nepal's history. The youth demonstrations, which began under the name of the 'GenZ Rebellion,' took such a horrific and violent turn that the state and citizens in Koshi Province suffered unimaginable loss of life and property.

When infiltrators, political party cadres, and vested interest groups hijacked the movement, which was initially claimed to be peaceful, the areas of Birtamod in Jhapa and Itahari in Sunsari in Koshi Province turned into battlegrounds. Physical structures worth millions were burned down in other major and minor cities across the three districts of Jhapa, Morang, and Sunsari.

Although the situation across the country was dire during this incident, the human and material damage in Koshi Province was also significant. According to the report submitted by the investigation commission led by Gauribahadur Karki, formed to probe the events of Bhadra 23 and 24, five civilians lost their lives in Koshi Province alone. Three deaths occurred in Jhapa and two in Sunsari. A total of 224 people were injured across the province.

During the intense clash and shooting incident in Itahari, Sunsari, on Bhadra 23, 40-year-old Mohan Sardar, known as 'Chankhe' from Itahari-14, and 22-year-old Abhishek Shrestha from Inaruwa-6, Sunsari, died prematurely. Similarly, in Birtamod, Jhapa, where the agitation took its most violent form, 30-year-old Kamal Bhandari from Hilihang-2, Panchthar, and 39-year-old Gyanendra Sedhai from Jhapa Arjunadhara-11 died on Bhadra 24, while 32-year-old Dinesh Rajbanshi from Arjunadhara-8 died during treatment on the 27th.

The human toll was not limited to this. The high-level commission's report mentions that 12 unidentified bodies were found across the country. Some unidentified bodies were also found in Koshi Province. The mystery of whose bodies these are and how they died remains unsolved.

The economic aspect of the damage is even more alarming. Material damage exceeding NPR 760 million occurred under the provincial government alone. In addition, dozens of government offices, police stations, customs offices under the municipality and federal government, and private properties of ordinary citizens were turned to ashes, with the total value estimated to be in the billions.

How did so much damage occur? Where did the security apparatus fail? Who wielded weapons disguised as protestors? The detailed incident report prepared by the high-level investigation commission formed by the government, seeking answers to all these questions, has uncovered many sensitive facts. However, regarding the incidents in Koshi Province, the commission appears to be Kathmandu-centric.

The commission's report was prepared based on the statements of the then Chief District Officers of the three main districts in Koshi Province—Sunsari, Jhapa, and Morang—and on-site evidence.

What happened in Itahari, Sunsari?

According to the commission's report, the situation in Sunsari district was normal until the morning of Bhadra 23. Around 10:40 AM, students and youths gathered at Golchok in Itahari under the leadership of Srishti Bhattarai, coordinator of the GenZ Generation Campaign, and local GenZ leader Bikal Regmi. Initially numbering around 1,000, they began parading through the city chanting slogans.

However, shortly after, the number of participants in the procession swelled to an estimated 4,000 to 4,500. The report states, 'Subsequently, some individuals who infiltrated the slogan-chanting procession aggressively attacked the Area Police Office, Itahari, carrying stones, tear gas, iron rods, crude weapons, and bottles filled with petrol... in which situation security personnel had to fire in self-defense.'

The situation went out of control when the unruly mob attacked the Area Police Office, vandalized the digital display, smashed parked vehicles, and attempted to forcibly release inmates from the custody room, the report noted.

The report highlighted a serious lack of coordination and failure of the 'chain of command' among security agencies in Sunsari. A curfew order was issued at 3:30 PM on the day of the incident. After protestors managed to enter the sub-metropolitan office compound and set fire to the fire engine, the Mayor's office, and the general store, security personnel used force.

However, a sentence in the report regarding the order to fire clarifies the ad-hoc nature of the security mechanism. The report states, 'Without a written or verbal order from the Chief District Officer, Superintendent of Police, or Deputy Superintendent of Armed Police Force, or anyone else, based on the legal principle of systematic use of force and considering the curfew order issued by the District Security Committee from 3:30 PM that day, after an aggressive group of about 5,000 attacked to release protestors detained for successfully setting fire to the sub-metropolitan office, the joint security force of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Nepal, deployed for the protection of the police office, weapons, vehicles, documents, and detainees, dispersed the crowd by firing tear gas, blank rounds, and live rounds.'

Based on this, it is clear that no prior order to fire came from a higher level. However, security personnel in the field were forced to make their own decisions when the situation went beyond control. Mohan Sardar and Abhishek Shrestha lost their lives in this clash.

The commission also stated that 'no coordination was seen with the Deputy Superintendent of Armed Police Force in the Security Committee or Command Post, indicating a lack of unity of command.' The commission confirmed that the failure to minimize damage was due to a lack of command unity even between the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force deployed in the same area.

The commission clearly named some political parties and extremist groups regarding who instigated violence in what was claimed to be a peaceful student movement. The report stated, 'In vandalism, looting, and arson, individuals affiliated with major political parties such as RSP, CPN (Maoist Centre), individuals with various Hindu religious extremist ideologies, and vested interest groups like Durga Prasai were involved.'

The report mentions that the then Chief District Officer of Sunsari had to coordinate with Madan Chudal of the CPN (Maoist Centre) to request that his cadres not infiltrate the demonstration. The GenZ leaders themselves pleaded with the police for protection, stating that the movement was beyond their control and that infiltrators were present, after which the police provided them with escort security.

Even with the army mobilized by the night of Bhadra 23, protestors broke the curfew again from the morning of the 24th. An unruly group of about 500 to 600 people attacked the Jhumka Prison around 10:30 PM that night and forcibly freed 1,716 inmates. Following this, looting and arson occurred at Pakali Police Station, Inaruwa Municipality, Internal Revenue Office Itahari, Transport Management Office, and dozens of other government offices and private properties.

Weapons Looted and Police Attacked in Jhapa

The situation in Jhapa was even more frightening and war-like than in Sunsari. Demonstrations starting from Damak and Birtamod on Bhadra 23 quickly turned violent.

At 10:35 AM on Bhadra 23, a group of about 200 protestors in Damak started the violence by vandalizing the Damak Municipality gate and CCTV cameras. Similarly, a crowd of about 550 people gathered near Mukti Chowk in Birtamod swelled to around 5,000 in no time. They pelted stones at the Birtamod Municipality office, broke window panes, and attempted to hold the Deputy Mayor and employees hostage by preventing them from leaving.

The most serious aspect of the Jhapa incident was the infiltration of individuals with criminal backgrounds. They attacked the police, looted weapons, and even fired upon the police. The report states, 'Taking advantage of the police being busy elsewhere, an unruly group attacked the Area Police Office, Damak, assaulting the police and looting police weapons, ammunition, logistical supplies, and uniforms. Arson was set at the Traffic Police Office, Birtamod, and gas cylinders were also detonated... Firing was also carried out by protestors using the looted weapons.' The administration's response, stating that they could not send additional security personnel or tear gas shells due to the overwhelming crowd, is also mentioned in the report.

Mysterious Deaths: Who Fired the Shots?

The cause of death for Kamal Bhandari, Gyanendra Sedhai, and Dinesh Rajbanshi in Jhapa is still not fully clear. Did they die from police bullets or from the bullets of the infiltrators who looted weapons? The commission itself is uncertain about this. The report states, 'Some of the deceased might have been involved in that incident, and firing might also have occurred from the group that looted weapons. Three injured individuals being treated in Birtamod have died. It is not clear in which incident they were injured. Furthermore, it could not be confirmed who shot those who were hit by bullets.'

In Jhapa alone, 428 rounds of live/aerial fire were shot—416 rounds by Nepal Police and 12 rounds by Armed Police Force—on Bhadra 23 and 24. Additionally, 420 tear gas shells were fired. The commission identified local political rivalry as the main reason for the agitation escalating in Jhapa. The report pointed out that the movement was used as a weapon to settle scores from the dispute between the Deputy Mayor and the Ward Chairman of Ward No. 8 in Birtamod Municipality, as well as political rivalry within Damak Municipality, with significant involvement from drug users, unemployed individuals, disgruntled middlemen, and political party cadres.

Fire of Rumors and Weak Morale

While arson and vandalism were occurring in Sunsari and Jhapa on Bhadra 23, neighboring Morang district remained completely peaceful. According to the report of the then Chief District Officer of Morang, Indradev Yadav, a peaceful demonstration took place on Bhadra 23 with an attendance of 700 to 1,000 people, and the police did not have to use any force.

However, the situation changed abruptly on Bhadra 24. From the morning, the main target of the protestors was the Koshi Province Assembly building. Although security personnel successfully defended the building until 2 PM, the situation escalated afterward.

The report firmly concludes that fake news and rumors spread on social media were the primary reasons for the agitation turning violent in Morang. False videos and rumors, such as reports of increased deaths in Kathmandu and bodies inside the Parliament building in New Baneshwor, agitated the protestors. Furthermore, a rumor spread on social media demoralized thousands of security personnel deployed in the field. The report mentions, 'After news was publicized that the Prime Minister had resigned and Singha Durbar was also set on fire due to social media and news, the morale of all deployed security personnel weakened, as they felt the situation everywhere had gone out of control.'

When the news spread that the country's administrative center, Singha Durbar, was burning and the Prime Minister had resigned, the security personnel on the streets reached a state of surrender, wondering for whom and why they should fight, the report stated. The report concludes that protestors gained entry around 3 PM, taking advantage of this weakened morale, and wreaked havoc in Morang.

In Morang alone, 155 government offices, private establishments, private houses, and political party offices were vandalized and set on fire. Attempts were made to set fire to the Nepal Oil Corporation fuel depot and to break prisoners out of jail, but these were thwarted by the strong defense put up by the army and police.

Commission's Conclusion

The report concludes that behind the approximately 224 injured, 5 confirmed deaths, and billions in damages, there were several specific technical and strategic weaknesses.

The youth who started the movement lacked a clear vision and leadership capability. They organized processions but failed to keep them under control. Consequently, criminal and politically vested interest groups easily hijacked the movement. The report concludes that groups affiliated with RSP, Maoist Centre, Durga Prasai supporters, and Hindu extremist groups systematically entered the crowd and led the vandalism and arson.

According to the report, news such as bodies in the Parliament building, the Prime Minister's resignation, and arson at Singha Durbar incited violence among the crowd and demoralized the security personnel. Proper coordination and information exchange between Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and the Nepali Army were not timely. There was confusion regarding who would secure which area and whose command to follow.

The commission concluded that the police were forced to retreat due to a lack of sufficient light during the night, a low ratio of security personnel to protestors, and the untimely availability of riot control equipment such as tear gas.