KATHMANDU (Oct 8) — The commission investigating the deadly Gen Z-led protests of September 8–9 has clarified that government authorities do not need to wait for its final report to investigate or take legal action against individuals involved in criminal offences.
Commission member Bigyan Raj Sharma said in a statement on Tuesday that relevant government agencies are “fully authorised to conduct investigations and pursue legal action” against those responsible for the violence, arson, and vandalism that erupted during the demonstrations.
The clarification comes after the Home Ministry’s September 25 directive, which stated that the government would only act after receiving the commission’s report and instructed officials not to make arrests or initiate legal proceedings in the meantime. The inquiry panel said that the ministry’s statement “went beyond the commission’s mandate.”
“The commission’s role is to collect and analyse information related to the human and material losses during the incident and advise the government,” Sharma said. “However, this does not prevent the state from immediately pursuing criminal investigations where necessary.”
Commission chair Gauri Bahadur Karki also told Kantipur earlier this week that investigations into cases attracting criminal liability from the September 8–9 unrest could move forward “through regular legal channels without obstruction.”
At least 19 people were killed and over 500 injured during the protests in Kathmandu and other cities, which were led by Gen Z activists demanding justice and accountability for corruption, police brutality, and government inaction.
Meanwhile, reports suggest that young activists have begun pressuring the government to investigate former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, holding them responsible for what they describe as the “September 8 massacre” outside the federal parliament in New Baneshwar.