Kathmandu, Sep 28 An inquiry commission formed to investigate the physical and human losses during the recent GenZ protests has barred former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak from leaving the country.
In a press statement on Sunday, the commission said it had instructed the concerned government agencies to restrict the foreign travel of Oli and Lekhak, along with former Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, former Chief of the National Investigation Department Hutaraj Thapa, and former Kathmandu Chief District Officer Chhabi Rijal.
The commission said that the decision was taken because these individuals are under investigation and could be summoned for interrogation at any time during the inquiry process.
It has also directed government agencies to prevent them from leaving the Kathmandu Valley without permission.
On the first day of the GenZ protests on September 8 and 9, at least 19 people were killed nationwide in police firing.
More than 70 others died in the following days, as some of the injured succumbed to their wounds while others were killed in arson attacks.
GenZ protesters have demanded that those responsible for the killings be held accountable.
The inquiry commission, formed last week under former Special Court Chairperson Gauri Bahadur Karki, has been tasked with investigating the human and material losses, determining the causes of the incidents, and submitting a report with conclusive findings and recommendations.
The commission has also been instructed to present a clear action plan for implementing its recommendations.
Since the GenZ protests, Nepal has undergone political change, with former Chief Justice Sushila Karki now leading the interim government, whose main mandate is to hold elections for the House of Representatives on March 5 next year.
The formation of the inquiry commission was part of the understanding reached between the government and GenZ protest leaders.
During the protests, in addition to human casualties, government and private properties suffered heavy damage, resulting in massive losses.
Protesters vandalised businesses and other establishments on the second day of protests, which were held on September 9.
According to the government, vandalism and arson attacks caused damages worth more than NPR 100 billion to public infrastructure, with as many as 380 federal government buildings damaged, according to a preliminary study by the Ministry of Urban Development.
Likewise, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the apex body of Nepal's private sector, estimated that private sector properties sustained damages worth more than NPR 80 billion.
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