Joint Secretary Chhabi Rijal Released Following Cabinet Decision on Gen-Z Movement Inquiry
Kathmandu. Following the arrests of former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in connection with the Gen-Z movement last Bhadau, Joint Secretary Chhabi Rijal was also taken into custody.
On Chait 14, police detained Oli and Lekhak to implement the recommendations of the commission led by Gauri Bahadur Karki regarding the events of Bhadau 23 and 24. Oli was Prime Minister and Lekhak was Home Minister when teenagers were killed by police gunfire in New Baneshwor during the Gen-Z movement.
Chhabi Rijal was the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu at the time of the protests. The District Security Committee holds the primary responsibility for controlling riots and maintaining peace and security.
The CDO serves as the chairman of this committee. On Bhadau 23, as the riots threatened to go 'out of control,' the District Security Committee officials decided to use force and impose a curfew. The committee includes the Kathmandu SSP, representatives from the Armed Police Force, the Nepal Army, and the National Investigation Department.
While the commission recommended departmental action against other committee members, it specifically recommended that Rijal be investigated for 'homicide' due to the suppression of the movement that led to the deaths of teenagers in Baneshwor.
Acting on this recommendation, a team from the Valley Crime Investigation Office arrested Rijal on Chait 17 from Subidhanagar, Kathmandu. Rijal had been residing in Subidhanagar after his home in Anamnagar was set on fire by protesters.
Investigators from the District Police Range, Kathmandu, released him the same evening after signing a standard 'document.' Such documentation is typically used for government witnesses in criminal cases. Regarding the reason for his release, SP Pawan Bhattarai of the District Police Range, Kathmandu, stated, 'We released him based on the Cabinet's decision.'
On Chait 13, the Cabinet led by Balendra Shah 'Balen' made two distinct decisions regarding the implementation of the Karki Commission's recommendations. The first decision stated, 'For individuals and agencies recommended by the commission that fall under the security apparatus, a study committee shall be formed, and actions will be taken based on its recommendations.'
The second decision directed relevant bodies to immediately implement the commission's recommendations for all others. Security officials explain that Rijal was not investigated further based on the interpretation of the Cabinet's first decision. Before releasing Rijal on personal recognizance, the police also sought the opinion of Ramhari Sharma Kafle, the then-Joint Attorney at the District Government Attorney's Office.
Kafle, who has recently been transferred to the Office of the Attorney General, told Ratopati regarding Rijal's release, 'The Chief District Officer also falls within the security apparatus, so we did not proceed with extending his remand.'
It is analyzed that civil servants in the District Security Committee and the Central Security Committee also fall under the security apparatus. Following Rijal's release, Gokarnamani Duwadi, a former member of the Central Security Committee and Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, has also been spared from criminal charges based on the commission's recommendations.
An official from the District Government Attorney's Office stated, 'Our analysis is that not only those leading the security forces but all civil servants who participate in security committee meetings and decisions are part of the security apparatus.'
Experts suggest that the Cabinet will form a separate study committee for the security apparatus. A high-ranking official at the Ministry of Home Affairs noted, 'Once the study committee determines and recommends the appropriate action for security officials based on the Karki Commission's report, it will be implemented accordingly.'
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