Kathmandu, July 26: More than four months after taking office, the Balendra Shah government has yet to begin an investigation into the deadly violence of September 9, 2025 (Bhadra 24), despite making it one of its first public commitments.
The pledge appeared as the seventh point in the government’s 100-point agenda unveiled on its first day in office. It promised to form a high-level investigation committee within a week to establish the facts behind the violence. However, 123 days into its tenure, no committee has been formed, even as the government claims it has completed more than 87 percent of its 100-day commitments.
Following the Gen Z movement, the previous government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki had formed a commission under former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki to investigate the unrest on September 8-9, 2025 (Bhadra 23 and 24). Although its mandate covered both days, the commission submitted a report only on the events of Bhadra 23 and did not investigate the widespread violence that followed on September 9.
The protests began on Bhadra 23 outside the Parliament building in New Baneshwor, where police opened fire after demonstrations turned violent. Twenty-two people were killed that day. On Bhadra 24, violence spread across the country, claiming another 54 lives and bringing the total death toll from the movement to 76. Government buildings, including Parliament, Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, the President’s Office, police offices, local government buildings and private commercial properties were set ablaze.
The government’s failure to honour its own commitment has drawn criticism from political parties and civil society. Rastriya Swatantra Party General Secretary Bipin Acharya said the party’s central committee is expected to review the government’s performance soon, including the unfulfilled pledge to investigate the Bhadra 24 violence.
The main opposition Nepali Congress insists the violence on Bhadra 24 was a criminal act that requires an independent investigation. Party spokesperson Devaraj Chalise warned that shielding those responsible would criminalise politics and undermine the legitimacy of the Gen Z movement.
Former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal also called for an impartial investigation, saying failure to identify and punish those responsible would damage public trust and history’s judgment of the government.
Leaders from the CPN UML and Janata Samajwadi Party have echoed similar concerns, arguing that failing to investigate one of Nepal’s worst episodes of political violence would encourage future lawlessness and weaken accountability.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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