Govt Assures No Security Threat to March 5 Elections

The government has said there is no security threat to the elections scheduled for March 5 and that voting will take place as planned.

Speaking to the state-owned Rastriya Samachar Samiti, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said most of the weapons looted during the September 8–9 Gen Z protests have been recovered. He added that runaway inmates and stolen weapons will not pose a security risk during the elections.

The general election is just over a week away, and there have been doubts in some quarters about whether it could be held on time. However, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to ensure security and conduct the polls as scheduled.

During the unrest on September 9, the second day of the Gen Z Movement-led protests, around 14,500 inmates escaped from prisons across the country. Police records show that more than 1,200 firearms were lost during the violence. About 100 were destroyed in fires that damaged over 200 police posts in the Kathmandu Valley. The missing weapons included pistols, INSAS and SLR rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

As of December 2025, Nepal Police have recovered around 750 stolen weapons and arrested about 10,000 escaped inmates. The Home Minister said security agencies are continuing efforts to recover the remaining weapons and capture those still at large.

He also said that no recent crimes have been reported using the looted weapons, and assured that there will be no security problems during the election period.