Bring Culprits To Book

With the formation of a high-level commission to investigate the incidents that took place during the Gen Z demonstrations on September 8 and 9, hope for justice to the families of martyrs and the injured has been rekindled. Former justice of the Special Court Gauri Bahadur Karki heads the panel with former AIG Bigyan Raj Sharma and legal expert Bishweshwar Prasad Bhandari as its members. As the committee includes the competent members of their field, it is expected to submit its report within three months it has been granted by the government, which will take action against those involved in the brutal killing of innocent Gen Z protesters and the destruction of public and private properties based on the commission's findings.  

Forming a high-level judicial panel was the demand of the agitating Gen Zeers since the formation of the Sushila Karki-led government. At least 19 protesters lost their lives on the first day of the movement and the death toll now stands at 74. The Karki-led government that is now taking shape with the induction of new faces has a humongous challenge of delivering justice to the families of victims and holding the general election in six months. Similarly, it must pay heed to the call for investigating and punishing the corrupt politicians and other individuals.

The magnitude and intensity of the protest were something the government had not imagined. Contrary to the policy of Gen Zeers, their movement has been allegedly hijacked by the infiltrators who went berserk in the capital on September 9. They engaged in arson, vandalism and looting, torching buildings of Singha Durbar, Federal Parliament and the Supreme Court. The brutal killing of people, mostly young college kids, was a grave violation of human rights. The then government cannot shrug its shoulders, simply claiming that there was a penetration of destructive elements in the demonstration.

Footage showed that detainees from Maharajgunj Police Circle were involved in killing police, which was an unfortunate incident. Such a heinous crime committed in the name of the protest cannot be tolerated. If the state fails to take timely action against the culprits, it will give birth to impunity. The police have formulated a strategy to track down and take legal action against individuals who set police buildings on fire and looted weapons during the September 9 protests. 

According to the news published in this daily in the wake of the protests, hundreds of police buildings were torched, and more than 1,100 firearms and 98,000 rounds of ammunition were looted. More than 14,000 prisoners fled from the prisons across the country, and among them, about 7,000 have been rearrested. The devastation of public properties to this extent has never been witnessed in the history of the country, although many political upheavals have happened in Nepal in different periods.

The CCTV footage and videos taken during the protest and the subsequent arson, looting and vandalism have surfaced on social media. These must be served as evidence against the perpetrators. Similarly, there should be a forensic test of the bullets fired on the peaceful protesters. The finger has been pointed at the use of metal bullets instead of rubber shots. The government, as well as the public, has pinned trust in the probe panel to come up with facts and truth so that justice prevails and helps the nation heal its wounds. This is also imperative to restoring enduring peace and democratic order.