The government has entrusted two ministers with studying the report on the Balkumari incident and making necessary recommendations .
Government Spokesperson Rekha Sharma said that the Cabinet meeting held on Monday decided to give Energy Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet and Law Minister Dhanraj Gurung the responsibility of studying the report and making recommendations to the government by March 3.
She said that the ministers will study the report on the Balkumari incident and make recommendations to the government regarding its implementation.
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.
Main opposition CPN-UML has been demanding Minister Jwala’s resignation over the incident.
