Although former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were released after 13 days of detention, investigations against them remain ongoing, according to SP Pawan Kumar Bhattarai of the Kathmandu District Police Office. The Karki Commission found Oli and Lekhak guilty, recommending action under Sections 181 and 182 of the Muluki Criminal Code, a measure subsequently implemented by the Council of Ministers. Kathmandu, April 17.
The police have confirmed that investigations into former Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister and Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak continue even after their release from custody. Both were freed following 13 days in detention, but Kathmandu District Police Office SP and spokesperson Pawan Kumar Bhattarai emphasized that inquiries are still underway. ‘There is some public curiosity about the nature of ongoing investigations after their release, but the fact remains that investigations are continuing,’ SP Bhattarai remarked.
According to Bhattarai, investigators are advancing their work after retrieving the Tameli file. The Kathmandu Police Office received nine petitions related to the September 8 (Bhadra 23) JNG protest violence. Following the Attorney General’s office decision, these were filed under Tameli on October 14 (Asoj 27). Among these, investigation is actively proceeding on one petition for which the Tameli has been retrieved. ‘We are investigating by retrieving the Tameli for one petition. Evidence and facts are being collected,’ Bhattarai explained.
Current investigative measures include reviewing autopsy, challan, and forensic documents, analyzing CCTV footage, and examining documents of eyewitnesses and individuals present at the scene. A commission led by former Chief Justice Gauribahadur Karki was established to investigate the incident. The government decided to implement the commission’s report on March 26. Subsequently, on the morning of March 27, Oli and Lekhak were arrested at their residence in Bhaktapur. They were released on bail and appear before court as per the Supreme Court’s directives on April 9. Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has expressed dissatisfaction with the court ruling. In a dialogue with security and home administration journalists on Thursday, Minister Gurung stated, ‘They were apprehended after a night of effort, yet the court released them. It is not ministers who must deliver justice, but judges.’
During the September 8–9 JNG protests, KP Sharma Oli was the Prime Minister and Ramesh Lekhak served as the Home Minister. On September 8 alone, security forces opened fire resulting in 19 deaths in Kathmandu and 2 in other districts, totaling 21 fatalities. Including September 9, the total death toll reached 76. The commission headed by former Chief Justice Gauribahadur Karki investigated the event and held Oli and Lekhak responsible, recommending disciplinary action. The recommendations referred to Sections 181 and 182 of the Muluki Criminal Code, which address negligence causing death. The commission found that government forces were used during the September 8 protest and efforts to stop the use of force were absent, holding Oli and Lekhak accountable. The Council of Ministers, led by Minister Walden Shah, approved the commission’s recommendations and ordered enforcement, after which Oli and Lekhak were arrested.
