Kathmandu, Nov 4: The government has removed Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Bahadur Karki from his post. A Cabinet meeting decided to relieve him of his responsibilities and transfer him to the Office of the Prime Minister as an adviser.
Karki has been removed from the position of IGP and placed under the Prime Minister’s Office. The government accused Karki of playing a role in recent controversial developments.
The Cabinet opted to transfer him to the Prime Minister’s Office after concerns emerged that directly dismissing him could lead to legal complications.
The government has decided to appoint AIG Manoj KC as the new Inspector General of Police. Karki was appointed IGP on Kartik 24 last year by the government led by Sushila Karki. He assumed office on Kartik 26. During the Gen Z protests on September 10 (Bhadra 24), Karki was in charge of the Kathmandu Valley command.
His tenure of nearly one year was not free of controversy. He faced allegations of irregularities in the procurement of uniforms for election police personnel. The government had also raised questions about his command and control of the police force, citing apparent weaknesses.
He also faced criticism over allegations that he was running the police command based on instructions from individuals under the Prime Minister’s Office.
Last week, police personnel were deployed to arrest journalists and conduct raids at media offices and the homes of journalists. It later emerged that IGP Karki himself had ordered the operations at the direction of individuals in the Prime Minister’s Secretariat.
He had reportedly been complying with instructions, including orders to carry out unlawful arrests. However, the courts subsequently ruled those arrests illegal.
Karki appointed Prime Minister’s Security Adviser
After removing Karki from his current responsibilities, the government has appointed him as the Prime Minister’s Security Adviser.
A Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday decided to create a special security position to accommodate Karki and assign him to the role.
The government has maintained that no disciplinary action has been taken against Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki. Government spokesperson Sasmita Pokharel claimed that his responsibilities had merely been reshuffled.
“Given the current special circumstances, a post of Special Security Adviser to the Prime Minister at the level of Inspector General of Police will be created at the Prime Minister’s Office to provide the Prime Minister with necessary security-related consultations and advice to strengthen peace and security in the country,” said government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmita Pokharel while briefing the media on the Cabinet meeting.
“Dan Bahadur Karki, the Inspector General of Nepal Police, will be assigned to the position of Special Security Adviser,” Pokharel added.
Asked by journalists why Karki had been subjected to disciplinary action, Minister Pokharel reiterated that the government had taken no action against him.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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