14 Chaitra, Kathmandu – Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early Saturday morning. He is held responsible for the events that occurred during the people’s movement. Based on these allegations, he was taken into custody and is currently held at the Kathmandu District Court premises.
The primary basis for Oli’s arrest is the investigation commission report led by Gauribahadur Karki. The report states the following about Oli:
In the governance system adopted by Nepal, the Prime Minister is the central figure operating the Prime Ministerial system and serves as the executive head. The cabinet and the bureaucratic setup are supporting organs to the Prime Minister. The entire credit for positive achievements and responsibility for any negative outcomes both lie with the Prime Minister.
Since he was the Prime Minister of the Government of Nepal, he was responsible for the functioning and administration of subordinate agencies. During the tenure of then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the National Investigation Department was placed under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister for the first time by positioning it under the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ Office rather than the Home Ministry.
The primary responsibility of the National Investigation Department is to collect information from various sources, analyze it, and inform all government security agencies about potential incidents and threats.
The authorized commission’s investigation revealed significant weaknesses in information gathering, use of equipment, and cyber intelligence analysis within this department. The security arrangements made on 23 Bhadra, based on intelligence gathered by the National Investigation Department, predicted a demonstration involving 3,000 to 5,000 people, which turned out to be incorrect.
Despite being a critical agency, there appears to have been no concrete initiative from the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ Office to make the National Investigation Department more capable and robust.
In the National Security Council meeting held on the evening of 23 Bhadra, following the atrocious afternoon incident, only a light verbal decision was made the next day, 24 Bhadra, to conduct a high-level committee investigation with an accurate security risk assessment and deploy security personnel effectively. However, with no written order issued, the problem seems to have been treated lightly.
The government imposed bans on 26 social media platforms without conducting any impact study regarding the consequences. When these social media bans were lifted, the Minister of Communications did so through verbal orders without formal decisions. There was also no attention given to possible security challenges the following day. The assumption that youth demands had been met and the ban lifted could cause further problems was not discussed, explained, or analyzed.
During the National Security Council meeting on the evening of 23 Bhadra, the option to declare a state of emergency on 24 Bhadra and deploy the Nepali Army to maintain peace and security was available. However, no concrete decision was made on this matter.
The council also did not make any decisive actions regarding the potential outcomes on 24 Bhadra. As a result, the country suffered unprecedented incidents not only on 23 but also on 24 Bhadra, causing extensive loss of life and property.
A crucial point is that on 23 Bhadra, after the Chief District Officer of Kathmandu declared a curfew at 12:30 PM in front of the Federal Parliament building, clashes between protesters and security forces had already begun and continued for approximately four hours.
This incident’s reports were sent to the government’s higher bodies, including the Prime Minister, through official channels. The then Home Minister also referenced this in his statements. The news was widely circulated on social media platforms.
Considering the deteriorating situation, there is no evidence that the then Prime Minister coordinated among security agencies to deploy security personnel effectively, arranged barricades to control the situation, initiated ceasefire efforts concerning the use of firearms, or coordinated with the military headquarters to deploy the Nepali Army. This missed opportunity likely prevented a reduction in casualties.
