Kathmandu [Nepal], September 21 (ANI): A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday formed a three-member high-level judicial inquiry commission to investigate violence and destruction during the Gen-Z movement.
According to Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, former Special Court Chair and retired High Court judge Gauri Bahadur Kaki will lead the commission, which will include two additional members. “A principled agreement to establish the inquiry body had already been made in last week’s Cabinet session. Final endorsement about the formation of the commission and its members was made today,” Aryal confirmed.
The commission also includes former Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Bigyan Raj Sharma and advocate Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari. Formed under the Commission of Inquiry Act, the commission has been given a tenure of three months to complete its investigation.
Tensions escalated in Nepal after police killed 21 protesting students and youths on September 8 while they demonstrated in front of the parliament during the anti-corruption movement and protests against the social media ban. The following day, 39 people died, including fifteen from burns, while the remaining 12 deaths occurred over the next week. Postmortem reports indicate that those killed in police firing in the Kathmandu Valley died from bullet injuries to the head and chest. Police are allowed to fire only below the knee to control protests.
The interim government, on September 12, declared those who died in the recent “Gen-Z uprising” as martyrs and announced one million Nepali rupees in cash relief to their families. Additionally, the Cabinet approved a proposal to provide an extra half a million Nepali rupees to the families of those killed. This was the first Cabinet meeting after Sushila Karki was appointed prime minister on September 12.
A preliminary survey conducted earlier this week found that about 700 vehicles were torched and permanently damaged, including over 250 four-wheelers and more than 450 two-wheelers. Insurance claims have continued to rise, reflecting the scale of destruction during the September 8 and 9 protests, with preliminary claims totaling 20.70 billion Nepali rupees.
According to the Nepal Insurance Authority, 1,984 claims have been filed, primarily linked to private businesses and properties. Public structures remain largely uninsured, limiting government exposure to vehicles under third-party liability coverage. Private insurers have faced unprecedented pressure, with Oriental Insurance alone receiving claims worth 5.147 billion NRs, Siddhartha Premier Insurance handling 258 claims totaling 4.93 billion NRs, and Shikhar Insurance facing 366 claims amounting to 2.39 billion NRs.
The losses have also impacted the government-owned Nepal Reinsurance Company, which carries liabilities of 11.77 billion NRs from 14 non-life insurers. Major claims include damages to Bhat-Bhateni Superstore, Kantipur Media Group, Ullens School, CG Impex, United Distributors, the looting of 18 kg of gold from Rastriya Banijya Bank’s New Baneshwor branch, and claims from Pokhara-based Bagaicha Hotel and Hotel Sarobar. (ANI)
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