Gauri Bahadur Karki Commission report on the 8–9 September crackdown and violence

Key findings

77 people died in total; 19 on 8 September alone.

No attempt was made to stop the firing even though it continued for more than four hours.

Action recommended against the then PM, home minister and police chief under Sections 181 and 182 of the National Penal Code 2017.

Action under Section 182 recommended against the home secretary, APF chief, NID chief and Kathmandu CDO.

Departmental action recommended against officers of Nepal Police, APF, Nepali Army and NID.

A deeper probe of the 9 September arson, looting and vandalism, using CCTV and digital evidence.

Criminal investigation recommended against members of the ‘TOB’ group for allegedly inciting violence on motorcycles.

Who did the commissions name — and for what?

These are commission recommendations, not court verdicts. Everyone is presumed innocent until a court rules otherwise.

Name	Position	Recommendation
KP Sharma Oli	Then prime minister	Criminal Action under Sections 181 (negligence) and 182 (recklessness)
Ramesh Lekhak	Then home minister	Criminal Action under Sections 181 and 182
Chandra Kuber Khapung	Then Inspector General of Police	Criminal Action under Sections 181 and 182
Gokarna Mani Duwadi	Then home secretary	Criminal Action under Section 182
Raju Aryal	Then APF Inspector General	Criminal Action under Section 182
Hutaraj Thapa	Then NID chief	Criminal Action under Section 182
Chhabilal Rijal	Then Chief District Officer, Kathmandu	Criminal Action under Section 182
Siddhi Bikram Shah	Police AIG	Departmental Departmental action (the same report also recommends a reward)
Om Bahadur Rana	Police DIG	Departmental Departmental action
Bishwo Adhikari	Police SSP	Departmental Departmental action
Deep Shamsher	Police SSP	Departmental Departmental action
Rishiram Kandel	Police inspector	Departmental Departmental action
Dan Bahadur Karki	IGP at time of report	Departmental Warning over weapons-security lapses
Narayan Dutta Poudel	APF operation commander	Departmental Departmental action
Suresh Kumar Shrestha	APF brigade commander	Departmental Departmental action
Jeevan KC	APF SP	Departmental Departmental action
Manoj Baidwar, Diwakar Khadka, Ganesh Khadka, Santosh Dhungel	Nepali Army commanders	Departmental Departmental action over security failures at the President’s Office and Parliament
Krishna Prasad Khanal, Riven Kumar Gachchadar	National Investigation Department	Departmental Departmental action for delayed intelligence
Members of the ‘TOB’ group	—	Further investigation Criminal investigation for alleged incitement

Background

To investigate the human and material losses of the Gen Z uprising of 8–9 September 2025, Sushila Karki’s interim government formed a high-level commission led by former Special Court judge Gauri Bahadur Karki. Its members were former AIG Bigyan Raj Sharma and senior advocate Bishweshwar Prasad Bhandari.

The commission handed its report to then Prime Minister Karki on 8 March 2026. The government said it would study it before acting. Key parts became public in late March.

What happened after the recommendations?

Right after Balen Shah’s government took office, KP Sharma Oli and Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on 28 March 2026. Kathmandu District Court allowed five days’ custody. The Supreme Court then ruled that custody was not necessary for the investigation, and both were released on 9 April 2026. The court did not call the detention unlawful and said the investigation should continue.

Note: A commission recommendation is not a court verdict. Until a case is filed and a court rules, everyone named is legally presumed innocent.

How it differs from the NHRC

This commission focused mainly on the 8 September shootings and admitted it could not gather enough evidence on the 9 September arson and vandalism. The National Human Rights Commission examined both days and recommended that Karki himself be investigated further.

Questions raised about the report

The commission admitted it could not collect enough evidence to recommend prosecution over the 9 September arson and vandalism.

It recorded a jailor’s statement about coercion to release Rabi Lamichhane but did not verify it or assign responsibility.

It noted the Army’s slow response and non-cooperation but recommended action only against lower-ranking officers.

It recommended prosecution for excessive force while also faulting police for withdrawing.

The same officer (AIG Siddhi Bikram Shah) received both a reward and a disciplinary recommendation.

Former DIG Hemanta Malla called it “completely biased”; senior advocate Bipin Adhikari called it “opinionated rather than objective”; the Nepal Bar Association objected to scope overreach.