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Kathmandu, Jan 5: The commission formed to probe the suppression of the Gen Z movement and the violence that followed has received a written statement from former Prime Minister and UML chair KP Sharma Oli. A commission team delivered a letter to Oli’s residence in Balkot, which he accepted and returned with his written response through the same team.

Oli had already appeared in person at the National Human Rights Commission office in Pulchok on Sunday, where he recorded his statement for about two and a half hours, explaining the events linked to the Gen Z movement and his role. While he appeared before the Human Rights Commission, he chose to submit only a written response to the probe panel led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki. Earlier, Oli had publicly questioned the commission’s fairness and said he would neither appear nor respond.

Commission member and spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma said the panel had gathered accounts from most people directly involved in or affected by the Gen Z movement. “Except for a few, we have collected statements from almost everyone concerned. Some individuals could not be contacted,” Sharma said, adding that the commission remains open to hearing from anyone who still wishes to present their account.

With Oli’s written statement received, the commission has nearly completed its main tasks. Last week, it recorded a written statement and testimony from Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak. Earlier, the panel had collected details related to the movement and other evidence. It took statements from lower-level security officials, then from senior officers including the then Kathmandu police chief, officials of the Valley Police Office, and top officials at Police Headquarters.

The commission also recorded statements from the Armed Police Force, the National Investigation Department, Kathmandu’s chief district officer, the then home secretary, the chief secretary, and other senior officials. Army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel appeared with senior officers to give testimony. At the outset, the panel had also taken statements from former home minister Rabi Lamichhane.

In addition, the commission questioned injured protesters, families of those who died, movement leaders, eyewitnesses, doctors involved in treatment, hospital administrators, weapons experts, and former security officials experienced in crowd control. After some witnesses pointed to corruption and misgovernance as root causes of the movement, the panel sought expert views from former civil servants and governance specialists.

The commission focused mainly on the incidents of Sept 23, then called for public information to document arson and vandalism on Sept 24. After difficulties in obtaining some records, it initially narrowed its inquiry to the Sept 24 violence.

Having completed statements, the commission has moved into full report writing. It will detail the use of excessive force and casualties on Sept 23, and confirm losses from arson and vandalism the following day.

The government formed the three-member commission on September 21, 2025. Its mandate was later extended to identify those involved in excessive force and unlawful killings and recommend criminal proceedings. The panel has informed the government that it cannot act on parts of the expanded mandate related to case withdrawals, citing limits to its authority. The commission says it will submit its report within the extended deadline.

People’s News Monitoring Servicce