KATHMANDU — Nepal Police on Tuesday registered a complaint filed by the families of those killed during the recent Gen-Z protest movement against former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
The complaint was immediately forwarded to the High-Level Judicial Inquiry Commission formed to investigate the killings and destruction of property during the two days of Gen-Z protests on September 8 and 9, last month.
The complaints against the leaders were registered amid a pressure campaign launched by some Gen-Z leaders after 19 people were killed in police firing during the protests against the corruption in the country. The demonstrations ultimately forced Oli to resign as PM, paving the way for the formation of a new apolitical government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki.
“Four family members of those killed during the Gen-Z movement filed complaints against Oli and Lekhak, accusing them of crimes against humanity and offences against the state,” the Superintendent of Police Pawan Bhattarai, spokesperson for the District Police Office, Kathmandu, told IANS. “We immediately forwarded the complaints to the commission, as it was formed to investigate the incidents that occurred during the Gen-Z movement.”
Earlier, police had refused to register complaints against former Prime Minister Oli and members of his cabinet, citing concerns that a police investigation could influence the commission’s independent inquiry.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, the commission clarified that no government body is required to wait for its report to investigate or take action against those involved in criminal offences. It stated that its mandate includes receiving and analysing petitions concerning human and material losses during the Gen-Z movement and recommending necessary actions.
The government has been under pressure from Gen-Z leaders to initiate a criminal investigation against Oli and Lekhak, accusing them of murdering youths during the protests. Since Monday, they have launched a social media campaign with the hashtags “Arrest KP Oli” and “Arrest Ramesh Lekhak”.
In addition to the social media campaign, some Gen-Z leaders have also been lobbying for the removal of Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut and the chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), Prem Rai. A group of them even reached the CIAA office, demanding Rai’s resignation. –IANS
