Kathmandu, March 8 A high-level commission tasked with investigating the killings, arson, and damages during the Gen Z protests in September last year submitted its report to Nepal's interim government on Sunday, blaming a lack of good governance and inefficiency by the then administration.
As the report was submitted to interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki at the PM Office at Singhdurbar, neither the commission chief nor the government released the names of individuals responsible for shooting at Gen Z protesters and related issues.
A total of 76 people were killed during the two-day protest – 22 young people on September 8, and 54 others the following day.
A week after Sushila Karki took office as the interim prime minister, a decision by the cabinet on September 21 led to the formation of the judicial inquiry commission led by former Supreme Court Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki to investigate the incidents related to the September Gen Z protests.
The incident was mainly due to a lack of good governance and inefficiency shown by the then government administration, said commission chair Gauri Bahadur Karki.
People were frustrated due to the politicization of government institutions, including the bureaucracy and judicial bodies, he said.
"Those involved in shooting the Gen Z youths and issuing orders, as well as those who did not act to stop the killings, have been recommended for legal action," commission chairman Karki told media persons after handing over the report without providing further details.
The commission prepared the report honestly and included all the facts they received during the investigation, he said, adding, "Now it is up to the government to implement the recommendations."
The country may witness another Gen Z movement if the government fails to implement them, he added.
The probe commission was initially given a three-month period by the Cabinet to investigate the human and material losses of the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, in order to complete the task. This period was later extended three times, giving an additional 75 days, and was originally supposed to be submitted before the March 5 general election.
The general elections were necessitated after deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli resigned on September 9, following the violent Gen Z protests against his government over corruption and a ban on social media.
