Kathmandu [Nepal], November 20 (ANI): Nepali security forces used disproportionate force during the September Gen-Z uprising, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), a US-based advocacy group.
HRW said the interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki — which took charge after the prime minister resigned amid nationwide protests — should investigate the excessive use of force, arson and mob attacks on individuals and buildings on September 9, including any unlawful orders issued by authorities.
The group found that police indiscriminately fired on protesters multiple times over three hours, killing 17 people in Kathmandu during demonstrations against political corruption and a sweeping social media ban imposed four days earlier.
The violence on September 8 triggered further unrest the following day, when groups — some apparently not linked to the original protest — set fire to government buildings and attacked politicians, journalists, schools, businesses and media outlets. HRW said security forces appeared to have failed to act during these incidents.
HRW interviewed 52 witnesses, victims, journalists, medical professionals, politicians and individuals close to the security forces. Researchers also reviewed verified photos and videos from the protests and visited hospitals and sites of violence.
Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s deputy Asia director, urged the Karki government to ensure accountability for serious human rights violations. She called for independent, time-bound and transparent investigations that do not shield those responsible.
Formed on September 12, the Karki government has established a high-level committee to investigate the deaths of 76 people nationwide during the two days of violence. Of those, 47 deaths occurred in Kathmandu, including three policemen.
HRW said the government must address underlying issues such as corruption and deteriorating living conditions, which fueled the youth-led protests.
According to the group, police used lethal force between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on September 8 to disperse protesters near the parliament, shooting people in the head, chest and abdomen. Witness accounts and reviewed footage did not show any imminent threat to life that would justify intentional lethal force.
Witnesses also said 33 people detained from the parliament grounds were beaten, threatened and released only the next afternoon. One witness identified the detaining unit as the Special Task Force.
On September 9, protesters across Kathmandu attacked police stations, looted weapons and forced officers to flee. Three policemen were killed in mob attacks, according to police officials and pathologists. Members of the public also took part in arson and attacks across the city.
The unrest prompted then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. President Ram Chandra Paudel later issued a statement urging calm, and the army was deployed that evening as arson continued until around 10 p.m.
Pathologists at a Kathmandu morgue said that of the 47 bodies received over two days, 35 died from high-velocity gunshot wounds to the head, neck, chest or abdomen.
HRW also documented police entering a hospital compound on September 8 and striking staff and patients with batons, injuring a staffer. Protesters attacked ambulances, while journalists were hurt by projectiles fired by police. Media outlets were targeted by protesters the following day.
A retired senior police official told HRW that officers failed to follow procedures for dispersing protests and using firearms. International standards permit the use of lethal force only in cases of imminent threat to life, and Nepali law requires warnings and steps to prevent fatalities even when lethal force is authorized.
HRW said the investigative commission should examine the conduct of security forces, credible allegations of infiltration and criminal acts that contributed to the violence.
As of November 10, police had arrested 423 people allegedly involved in the September 9 violence but had not taken action against officers who unlawfully opened fire on protesters the previous day.
Ganguly warned that impunity for past human rights violations has enabled repeated cycles of violence in Nepal. She said it is crucial to end the longstanding pattern of stalled investigations and blocked prosecutions and to implement meaningful accountability and security sector reforms. (ANI)
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