Home Minister Presses for Swift Probe Into Bhadra 23 Protest Killings

Tension is growing within Nepal’s legal and security institutions as Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal pushes for immediate steps against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in connection with the deadly police firing on protesters on September 8 (Bhadra 23).

Sources say Aryal has been holding back-to-back meetings with top legal and police officials, urging them to begin investigations before the high-level inquiry commission submits its final report. He reportedly told Attorney General Sabita Bhandari that enough preliminary evidence, from police documents to CCTV footage—is already available to move forward.

Attorney General Bhandari confirmed the meeting, saying the Home Minister had called for simultaneous investigations, not just reliance on the commission’s findings. She later met IGP Chandrakuber Khapung and other senior officers, directing them to act on complaints lodged by victims’ families.

However, police leadership has advised caution. IGP Khapung reportedly told Bhandari that complaints had been filed against both past and present political figures, including Oli, Lekhak, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Mayor Balendra Shah, which could complicate the process without the commission’s conclusions.

Even so, Bhandari has emphasized that political considerations should not delay justice, instructing police and prosecutors to start gathering evidence and witness accounts. A joint task force is now expected to begin preliminary inquiries into the Bhadra 23 and 24 incidents.