Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said that necessary action will be taken after receiving and studying the report on the Balkumari incident.
Responding to lawmakers’ questions about the Balkumari incident during the House of Representatives meeting on Sunday, PM Dahal said that he will study the report submitted by the inquiry commission formed to investigate the incident.
The commission submitted its report to Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha on Friday.
PM Dahal said that Minister Shrestha will present the report in Sunday’s Cabinet meeting and that he will receive the report there.
“I would like to assure that necessary action will be taken after studying the report submitted by the inquiry commission formed by the government,” he said.
PM Dahal also said that false information was being spread about the work done by the government after the incident. He said that the government had moved the investigation process ahead after the incident by suspending those involved in the incident. The government suspended those involved in the incident as it took the incident seriously, he added.
PM Dahal said that the government has also decided to provide employment to the family members of those killed in the incident. He added that the Ministry of Labor has instructed the EPS Korea branch to provide additional amount to the families of the deceased.
Birendra Shah of Achham and Sujan Rawat of Dailekh were killed during clashes between security personnel and protestors demonstrating over the Employment Permit System (EPS) examination at Balkumari of Lalitpur after the vehicle of Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Prakash Jwala was torched on December 29, 2023.
The government then formed a three-member inquiry commission headed by former high court judge Shekhar Prasad Paudel to investigate the incident. Former additional inspector general of police Arun Kumar BC and Home Ministry Spokesperson Narayan Prasad Bhattarai were members of the commission.
The commission has said that Minister Jwala was responsible for the incident. It has also found Deputy Superintendent of Police Umesh Lamsal and Minister Jwala’s personal security officer Bodhraj Danuwar guilty and recommended departmental action against them. The government has not taken any decision on it yet.
