Probe commission recommends seizing passports of Nepal’s ex-PM Oli, others

Kathmandu, Sep 28 (PTI) The judicial commission formed to investigate the suppression of the Gen Z protests in Nepal earlier in the month recommended on Sunday the seizure of passports of the deposed prime minister KP Sharma Oli and four others.

The commission also instructed Oli, former home minister Ramesh Lekhak and others to seek permission if they wished to leave Kathmandu, ensuring accountability as investigations against them proceed, according to a statement by Bigyan Raj Sharma, a member of the commission.

The development comes a day after Oli denied giving shooting orders during the 'Gen Z' protests.

At least 19 protesters were shot dead during the police firing on September 8, the first day of the Gen Z protest that led to Oli's ouster the next day. As violence continued, the total number of deaths during the two-day protests against the Oli government over corruption and a ban on social media reached 75.

Days after Sushila Karki was sworn-in as the prime minister of the interim government, a Cabinet meeting on September 21 formed the judicial inquiry commission to investigate the excessive use of force by security agencies during the Gen Z protests that led to deaths.

In addition to Oli and Lekhak, who is also the senior leader of the Nepali Congress party, the individuals recommended for action include former home secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, former chief of the National Investigation Department Hutaraj Thapa, and former chief district officer of Kathmandu Chhabi Rijal, officials said.

A decision was made to ensure accountability as inquiries progress against the former top government officials, according to the commission.

On Saturday, Oli, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) chairman, addressing some leaders and cadres of his party in Bhaktapur district, said: “I have not given orders to shoot at the Gen Z protesters during the agitation.” Last week, in his first statement since his ouster, Oli said bullets were fired at protesters from automatic guns that the police did not possess and called for a probe into the matter.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has blamed the Oli government's failure to anticipate the intensity of the Gen Z demonstrations and the excessive force used against protesters by security personnel.

According to security sources, security forces fired thousands of live rounds from SLR rifles, Insas rifles, and pistols in an attempt to control the protests on September 8. PTI SBP MPL NPK NPK