By Our Reporter
The Commission formed by the government to investigate the truth about the Bal Kumari incident has submitted its report to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha.
However, the report is likely to invite a tussle among the ruling parties as it said that Minister for Physical, Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala led to the violence. Jwala is inducted into the cabinet from CPN (Unified Socialist) and voices have already been raised from the lawmakers of the ruling parties to oust him.
Moreover, the report bred dispute between two deputy prime ministers—Purna Bahadur Khadka and Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Reports have it that when Khadka demanded that the ministers should be allowed to read the report, Khadka rejected it outright resulting in the exchange of words between the two in a cabinet meeting.
Earlier, after accepting the report at the Ministry on Friday evening, Deputy Prime Minister Shrestha said that the commission’s investigation, facts and the conclusions drawn diligently would be implemented soon.
Birendra Shah of Chowrapati, Achham and Sujan Rawat of Mahabu, Dailekh were killed in a protest at the EPS Korea branch office at Balkumari, Lalitpur, on December 29 last year.
The Cabinet had formed the Commission under former High Court Judge Shekhar Prasad Paudel on January 1 2024 to investigate the incident and submit the report with opinions, suggestions and recommendations within one month.
Former Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Arun Kumar BC and Home Ministry Spokesperson and Joint Secretary Narayan Prasad Bhattarai were members of the commission chaired by Paudel.
The Commission started work on January 4 and submitted the report in 44 days. The deadline for the Commission was extended by 15 days.
A statement issued by Paudel, the chairman of the Commission, stated that the Commission inspected the scenes of the incident, documented the statements of 16 people including eyewitnesses, media coverage and persons, families of the victims, injured of the incident, expert doctors and other people related to the incident, and 29 people including officials of the security agencies related to the incident and others.
Similarly, it has been said that the reports and statements were taken from the EPS Korea Branch Balkumari, District Administration Office Lalitpur, District Police Range, Lalitpur, Armed Police Force, Nepal No. 21 Battalion, Dakshinkali, and the National Investigation District Office Lalitpur, and the test reports were prepared for physical evidence recovered from the incident site.
Meanwhile, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said that the government was studying the report submitted by the probe committee formed to investigate in Balkumari incident.
Minister Sharma, who is also the government spokesperson said that the Cabinet is currently studying the report after the report was submitted to the Prime Minister on February 17 after DPM Narayan Kai Shrestha received the report from the committee coordinator and members.
“After studying the report, the government will take a certain step in the regard, and the process for this has begun from the Prime Minister level,” Minister Sharma said while speaking at a press conference organised to make the Cabinet decisions public on Tuesday.
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