IGP Dan Bahadur Karki removed, Manoj Kumar KC appointed; Karki to move Supreme Court, Congress objects

The government has removed Police Inspector General (IGP) Dan Bahadur Karki from his post and appointed Additional Inspector General (AIG) Dr Manoj Kumar KC as the new IGP. Karki, who was removed from his post on Wednesday, is set to move the Supreme Court demanding reinstatement. A lawyer close to him provided this information.

Bhishma Raj Angdembe, leader of the parliamentary party of the main opposition Nepali Congress, objected to the government's decision to remove the IGP with 17 months still remaining in his tenure. He said the government must explain on what case, facts and evidence IGP Karki was removed. He also accused the government of focusing on removing the IGP at a time when the public is reeling from disasters and high prices.

Congress General Secretary Uday Shamsher Rana claimed the government removed Karki from his post after he refused to carry out an unlawful arrest. Speaking at a programme in Bajrabarahi, Lalitpur, he also warned that the party would not stay silent if its chairman Gagan Thapa were arrested.

Congress MP Nishkal Rai said the issue of the IGP appointment and the leadership change is linked to the state's laws and institutional autonomy, adding that past instances of breaking the seniority order were also mistakes, and that the current decision too was wrong.