A government-appointed judicial commission investigating the suppression of Nepal’s Gen-Z movement has recommended temporary foreign-travel bans on five figures, including former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, according to a commission press release. The panel also advised authorities to restrict the officials from leaving the Kathmandu Valley without approval so they remain available for questioning.
The commission’s list names former Prime Minister Oli; then–Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak; Home Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi; National Investigation Department chief Hutraj Thapa; and former Kathmandu Chief District Officer Chhabi Rijal. The panel did not use the phrase “hold passport,” but said the government should impose a ban on foreign travel to reduce flight risk during the probe.
The recommendation follows a deadly day of unrest on 23 Bhadra during the Gen-Z protests, when police gunfire left 19 people dead, according to the commission. Oli has maintained he did not order police to open fire. However, the Home Ministry at the time directed security to stop crowds from advancing toward the Federal Parliament building “by any means necessary,” and then-Kathmandu CDO Chhabi Rijal issued the firing order, the commission noted.
Citing the country’s passport law, the panel said Nepal can bar travel during active investigations. The statute allows restrictions when inquiries involve offenses such as corruption, money laundering, human trafficking, narcotics, illegal weapons, organized crime, and terrorism. The panel, however, did not explicitly cite the section or use the term “passport hold” in its recommendation.
According to a CPN-UML press release, the party’s Central Secretariat said it had taken “serious note” of reports that the investigation commission on the Bhadra 23–24 events recommended holding the passports of party chair KP Sharma Oli and others on Asoj 12. The party called the move a “politically vengeful step,” alleging authorities staged a media trial through the Home Ministry and timed the action to the Dashain holiday. The statement said the decision raises serious questions about the commission’s credibility.
“We have taken serious note of reports that the investigation commission on the Bhadra 23–24 events has recommended, on Asoj 12, holding the passports of party chairman KP Sharma Oli and others. The Central Secretariat strongly objects to this politically vengeful step, carried out after a media trial through the Home Ministry and timed to coincide with Dashain. Such actions raise serious questions about the commission’s credibility,” the CPN-UML said in a press release.
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