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By Our Reporter

The National Human Rights Commission report lands like a blunt reminder of how badly things slipped out of control during the Gen Z protests. It does overlook duty and responsibility. It names then prime minister KP Sharma Oli, home minister Ramesh Lekhak, and army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, along with the National Security Council, for failing to handle the situation. That alone is a serious indictment.

At the core of the report is a simple point. The state had both the authority and the machinery to manage the protests, but it failed to use them in a measured way. Instead of reading the situation early and planning a calibrated response, the system froze and then reacted with force. Not controlled force, but excessive force. The finding that most victims were shot above the waist says more than any official statement ever could. It shows panic, poor command, and a breakdown in restraint.

The National Security Council sits at the top of Nepal’s security structure. When it fails, the consequences ripple downward. The report suggests that there was no clear plan, no proper assessment, and no coordination that matched the seriousness of the unrest. That failure does not sit with one office alone. It reflects a collective lapse at the highest level.

One-sided Story

The state’s failure is only one side of the story. The protests did not turn violent on their own. There were actors who pushed, provoked, and in some cases openly encouraged escalation. The report itself hints at this. It notes online activity where instructions to make explosives were shared, and locations of leaders and businesses were mapped. That is not protest. That is preparation for confrontation. When such content circulates widely and goes unchecked, it feeds anger and turns crowds into mobs.

Then came the events of September 8 and 9. Public and private properties were set on fire. Singha Durbar, ministries, courts, hotels, and private homes were targeted. This was not random damage. It was organized chaos. Someone had to mobilize, guide, and amplify that level of destruction. Yet, the focus of accountability so far leans heavily toward the state’s response, not the chain of actions that led to that breakdown.

This is where the report feels incomplete. It questions authority, which it should, but it stops short of fully confronting those who incited and steered the violence from within the protest side. Political figures, influencers, and public personalities who encouraged youths, directly or indirectly, cannot be treated as bystanders. Their role may not involve pulling a trigger, but it can still set the stage for what follows. The uncomfortable part is that many of these figures have since found political space, some aligning with the Rastriya Swatantra Party and others close to Kathmandu’s mayor Balen Shah. That complicates accountability. Once individuals gain political backing or public sympathy, the appetite to investigate them weakens. No one wants to upset a rising support base.

This creates a familiar pattern. The state is blamed for excess force, which is justified, but those who lit the fire are left in the shadows. It becomes a selective reading of responsibility. One side is punished, the other is absorbed into the system. That approach carries a cost. If people see that violence can be mobilized, property destroyed, and lives disrupted without equal accountability, it chips away at trust in the system. Law starts to look negotiable. Justice begins to depend on who you are connected to.

The NHRC has done important work by documenting the scale of failure and recommending action against top officials. But accountability cannot stop there. It needs to extend to those who played a role in provoking, organizing, and sustaining the violence. Otherwise, the report risks telling only half the story.

The larger worry is not just about what happened in those two days. It is about what it signals for the future. If both state excess and mob violence are not addressed with equal seriousness, the next crisis will follow the same script. If the perpetrators of September 8 and 9, most of whom are now affiliated with RSP and Balen, are not brought to book, the sense of security in the nation will remain in limbo. But given how politics works here, it is hard to expect swift action. That is exactly why the NHRC must go further, review the roles of these individuals, and recommend action based on their involvement as well.