Kathmandu — CPN-UML Secretary Mahesh Basnet has released selected excerpts from the written statement submitted by party chair KP Sharma Oli to the commission investigating the incidents that took place on Bhadra 23 and 24.
The investigation team reached Oli’s residence in Gundu on Sunday to record his statement. On Tuesday, Basnet shared what he described as the key points of that statement through a post on social media. According to Basnet, Oli’s response to the commission focused on six main issues.
Oli stated that a meeting of the National Security Council held on the evening of Bhadra 22 discussed keeping the protest peaceful, avoiding the use of force, and extending support to youths and students involved in the movement.
In his statement, Oli also said that participants in the protest themselves had acknowledged that unruly and anarchic groups had infiltrated the movement. He further noted that photographs and videos from the time clearly show that most of the individuals involved in the protest were not from the Gen Z generation.
Regarding the events of Bhadra 23, Oli said that after incidents of vandalism and the sudden firing of shots, discussions were immediately held with the home minister and all security chiefs, following which a decision was taken to form an investigation committee.
He added that although there was a need to deploy the Nepal Army to bring the situation under control on Bhadra 24, such deployment could not be carried out. Oli also raised concerns about the neutrality of the investigation, stating that Gauri Bahadur Karki had already made public statements on social media on the day of the incident as well as before and after it, which, according to him, raises doubts about whether an impartial report would emerge.
Basnet’s disclosure has brought renewed attention to the events of Bhadra 23 and 24, as focus now shifts to how the investigation commission will assess these claims in its final findings.
