Kathmandu, Nov 24: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has concluded that the Nepal government’s actions on September 8, 2025, when security forces opened fire on youth and students, directly fueled the destructive events of September 9.

The organisation says the first day’s crackdown was brutal and unchecked, and the second day’s violence grew after unrelated groups mixed in with angry citizens.

HRW, which monitors human rights conditions worldwide, has said both the then-government and security agencies must face a full investigation. Its findings note that security forces fired live rounds in a reckless way on September 8, causing deaths and injuries. HRW says citizens came out the next day mainly out of anger, but the burning and looting that followed involved people who were not part of the earlier protest.

The interim government that took office after the crisis formed a probe commission. HRW says the commission’s work will only be meaningful if it investigates all violations openly, identifies those responsible and makes sure they face legal action. It also says investigators must examine who ordered the excessive force on September 8 and who directed the violent and unlawful acts on September 9. The group stresses that a credible investigation into the conduct of security forces over both days is necessary.

Although HRW is not a government body, its reports are taken seriously around the world. Former Law Minister Govinda Bandi says the government and the commission cannot afford to ignore the organisation’s findings, noting that many points match what local investigators have seen.

HRW’s Asia deputy director Meenakshi Ganguly says anyone found responsible for violations must be held to account, whether they are from the security forces or political circles. She adds that Nepal needs to end its long habit of burying investigation reports and avoiding punishment. She argues that accountability and security-sector reform are overdue.

HRW’s report describes how the Kathmandu administration announced a curfew at around 12:30 pm on September 8, yet security forces began firing live rounds only five minutes later. Videos from outside the main gate of Parliament show police and Armed Police Force personnel firing directly at protesters, including shots from inside the compound 40 meters away. HRW says evidence shows that some were shot while running away, with bullets striking them from behind. It concludes that poor planning and misjudgment by the security apparatus contributed to the deaths and the chaos that followed.

The commission has arrested some people involved in the September 9 violence, but HRW questions why no action has been taken against officers who fired at protesters on September 8.

HRW also states that the violent actions on September 9 were not driven by the same youth who had gathered peacefully the previous day. It says unrelated groups took charge and carried out organised attacks. Many phone users had received alarming messages that morning urging revenge, messages later traced to a local body in Myagdi, which claimed its account had been hacked.

The report details attacks on police posts, the Supreme Court, the Attorney General’s Office and Singha Durbar, carried out by armed individuals and biker groups using fuel from their own motorbikes. It also says the same group that burned the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar later attacked the President’s Office at Sheetal Niwas.

(People’s News Monitoring Service)