SATV Kathmandu Oct 08: Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra (Balen) Shah has reportedly pressured interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki to issue arrest warrants against former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. According to sources, Mayor Shah met PM Karki at her official residence in Baluwatar a few days ago and urged her to take action against the two leaders at any cost.
Under Shah’s pressure, Prime Minister Karki held a late-night meeting with security chiefs on Monday to discuss the issue. However, the security officials reportedly advised her that since an investigation commission had already been formed to probe the incidents of September 8 and 9 (Gen Z protests), any action should be based on the commission’s findings. Following that suggestion, the Prime Minister is said to have stepped back from taking immediate action.
“A few days before Dashain, Mayor Balen Shah visited Prime Minister Karki,” said a source close to the PM. Despite Shah’s insistence, the police avoided registering the complaint against Oli and Lekhak and instead forwarded it to the probe commission, giving the government a ‘face-saving’ exit.
Following the protests, Gen Z leaders such as Raksha Bam had been lobbying on social media since September 11 for Oli’s arrest, holding him and Lekhak responsible for the police firing on students and youth during the protests. Meanwhile, a controversial figure named Sudan Gurung, accused of manipulating the movement for political influence, reportedly threatened ministers that he would “brandish a khukuri” if Oli was not arrested. The incident created intense pressure on the ministers. “Sudan Gurung said in front of Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal and Energy Minister Kulman Ghising that he would brandish a khukuri if Oli was not arrested,” a source claimed.
During Monday night’s meeting, participants discussed possible legal ways to register a complaint and issue arrest warrants against Oli and Lekhak. However, on Tuesday, Gurung’s group submitted a written complaint to the District Police Range (DPR) Kathmandu, which was then forwarded to the investigation commission led by former Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki. “The police received the complaint but only to send it to the commission,” said a police source.
According to reports, the Home Ministry had invoked Section 26 of the Criminal Code 2074 BS, instructing the police to register the complaint and issue arrest warrants accordingly. Several groups had also exerted pressure on the DPR to file the case. “It seems the government aimed to calm some Gen Z leaders by issuing warrants against Oli and Lekhak,” a police officer said.
However, the police maintained their stance against accepting such complaints directly. “The Nepal Police stated that since a judicial inquiry commission is already in place, it would be premature to register the complaint,” said the source.
The police further clarified that they would only proceed against former PM Oli and former Home Minister Lekhak upon receiving written orders from Prime Minister Karki. During the Monday night meeting at Baluwatar, the police reportedly reiterated that taking premature action could lead to unnecessary confrontation.
The high-level meeting was attended by PM Karki, Home Minister Aryal, Home Secretary Rameshwar Dangal, Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Chandra Kuber Khapung, Armed Police Force Chief Raju Aryal, and National Investigation Department Chief Tekendra Karki, among others. The meeting explored possible legal mechanisms to arrest Oli and Lekhak but ended without a conclusion.
IGP Khapung argued that since a judicial inquiry commission had already been formed to investigate the Gen Z incidents, registering the complaint with the police would amount to interference. He also said the police would only act upon receiving a written order from the Prime Minister. When Khapung asked what should be done if a complaint were filed against Mayor Shah himself, the room reportedly fell silent.
While the government has already formed a commission to investigate the human and property losses of September 8 and 9, it is simultaneously exploring ways to issue arrest warrants — a move some security officials warned could negatively impact the commission’s ongoing work. “Issuing warrants while the commission is active could undermine its work,” one security official said.
Monday night’s meeting, attended by PM Karki, Home Minister Aryal, IGP Khapung, and senior police officials Dan Bahadur Karki and Manoj KC, focused on the legal implications of such arrests. Both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, however, reportedly insisted on filing a case against Oli and Lekhak. “They discussed the political risks of turning the case into another act of retaliation,” said the source.
Following Sudan Gurung’s threats against the police, the government was compelled to hold another emergency security meeting on Monday night. On Tuesday afternoon, PM Karki again convened security chiefs at her office in Singha Durbar.
Meanwhile, the probe commission clarified through a press release on Tuesday that authorities do not need to wait for its final report to investigate or take action against anyone involved in criminal offenses during the Gen Z protests of September 8 and 9.
In a statement signed by member Bigyan Raj Sharma, the commission said it had taken note of the Home Ministry’s September 25 notice, which stated that the government would act only after receiving the commission’s final report — a stance that had created confusion. The commission clarified that there was no need to wait for its report before pursuing investigations into criminal offenses.
“The government agencies can immediately proceed with the investigation and prosecution of anyone involved in criminal offenses,” the commission’s statement said.
The commission further reminded that its mandate was limited to collecting and analyzing information and providing recommendations regarding human and material damages, while the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses fall under the jurisdiction of regular law enforcement agencies.
The commission, formed under Section 3 of the Investigation Commission Act 2026 BS, began its work on September 17. With this clarification, security bodies are now free to expedite investigations into incidents of arson, vandalism, and human casualties during the protests.
UML’s countermove
In a retaliatory action to the attempt to file a complaint against UML Chairperson and former Prime Minister Oli, the UML-affiliated student wing ANNFSU filed a complaint against Kathmandu Mayor Shah and Hami Nepal founder Sudan Gurung at the DPR Kathmandu on Tuesday evening.
Police also forwarded this complaint to the investigation commission to avoid direct controversy. According to a police source, ANNFSU’s complaint accused Shah and Gurung of involvement in vandalism and arson at government structures such as Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, and the Parliament building, as well as in the destruction of private property and police killings during the protests.
ANNFSU General Secretary Deepak Dhami personally submitted the complaint, signaling UML’s counterattack in the unfolding political standoff.
