Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah (Balen) has expressed dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Sushila Karki over the lack of action against those who suppressed the Gen Z movement.
Mayor Shah met with Prime Minister Karki at Baluwatar on Wednesday morning after requesting an appointment. During their meeting, Prime Minister Karki asked Balen about the "atmosphere outside." Balen then shared his views on the developing situation and questioned the delay in addressing the Gen Z demands.
Balen's primary concern was the failure to take action against those who shot at and ordered the firing during the Gen Z protest on September 8. He reportedly asked, "It’s been so many days since the government was formed. Where are the people who fired the shots and gave the orders? Why haven’t they been arrested yet?"
Sources close to Balen indicate that he warned the Prime Minister that victim families are raising the same question, and immediate action is necessary to prevent growing dissatisfaction. In response, Prime Minister Karki stated that she was serious about the issue. Karki said, "We are doing it. No one who committed atrocities or abused power will be spared. There is no question of granting impunity." The conversation lasted about half an hour.
Balen had supported and facilitated the Gen Z movement. Following the September 9 destruction, Balen met with Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel. He then publicly suggested that Gen Z should negotiate with the army, form an interim government, and that Parliament should be dissolved beforehand. The army subsequently facilitated the negotiations.
Prime Minister Karki was appointed as the head of the interim government with Balen's support.
The government formed a judicial inquiry commission led by former Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki last Friday to investigate the suppression and destruction during the Gen Z movement. However, the commission has yet to take charge. The officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs have not yet initiated the process for Justice Karki's oath and office management. Nineteen people were killed on the first day when police opened fire during the Gen Z movement.
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