Kathmandu – Former Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu, Shavi Rizal, has been arrested by a team from the Crime Investigation Office. Rizal served as the CDO of Kathmandu during the JENJI movement. He is accused of suppressing the JENJI protests on September 8 and 9 (Bhadra 23 and 24 in the Nepali calendar). At the time, he was closely associated with then-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. Rizal was removed from his position as Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer less than a month after the crackdown on the JENJI movement. The investigation commission led by Gauribahadur Karki had also recommended disciplinary action against Rizal. Based on the commission’s recommendations, former Prime Minister and UML leader KP Sharma Oli, along with former Home Minister and Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak, were arrested last Saturday.
Before becoming Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer, Rizal headed the Administrative Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs. During Ramesh Lekhak’s tenure as Home Minister, Rizal served as the head of the Administrative Division and faced allegations of unprofessional conduct, including assigning staff to immigration and attractive offices in ways that contravened official procedures. In a charge-sheet submitted to the Special Court, the Anti-Corruption Commission stated that an investigation is ongoing against Rizal, then head of the Administrative Division at the Ministry of Home Affairs, for corruption. The investigation also focuses on individuals named in connection with irregular activities, including private secretary Badri Tiwari, personal secretary Janak Bhatt, Home Secretary Gokarn Mani Duwaadi, and Immigration Officer Tirthraj Bhattarai at the international airport, as detailed in diaries and other documents under scrutiny.
