Former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who appeared before the high level probe commission on Monday, said that he accepted full moral responsibility for the deaths and other losses of September 8 and claimed that the vandalism and arson on September 9 across the country was the result of “a planned conspiracy against democracy and the nation.” He, however, claimed that the incidents of September 9 were not a spontaneous escalation but a planned conspiracy against the nation and democracy.
Recording his statement before the commission investigating the incidents of September 8-9 Gen Z protests, Nepali Congress leader Lekhak said he had stepped down immediately after the September 8 tragedy because, as the political head of the home ministry, he felt a deep personal and institutional responsibility.
However, Lekhak drew a sharp distinction between the peaceful Gen Z protest of September 8 – which, according to him, was later infiltrated and hijacked – and resulted in extensive arson and attacks the next day.
“The violent incidents of September 9 were against national integrity, dignity and democracy. No patriotic Nepali could even imagine to torch Singha Durbar secretariat, the Supreme Court, Parliament, and the President’s Office,” Lekhak pointed out.
It was “a planned conspiracy” and “a deliberate attack on the nation and democracy” he said.
The inquiry commission, led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, on Monday summoned Lekhak, who was home minister during the Gen Z led protests that left 77 people dead and hundreds of others injured.
According to Bigyan Raj Sharma spokesperson for the probe commission, ex-Home Minister Lekhak spent more than two hours in the office of the commission to submit his written statement. He was asked to appear on Wednesday again to continue the explanation regarding the incident, Sharma added.
According to spokesperson Sharma, the commission is preparing to send a letter to summon the ousted Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to record his explanation regarding the incident. Once the explanation of Lekhak is over CPN-UML chair Oli will be summoned, he added.
In his explanation Lekhek claimed that as the then Home Minister he had convened a meeting of the Central Security COmmittee on September 7, where all security agencies agreed to maintain law and order by avoiding excessive use of force and casualties. “The Gen Z protesters’ demands including anti-corruption, good governance and lifting ban on social media sites were legitimate and widely accepted,” he said.
He said the September 9 destruction—including the burning of key state offices, private property, party buildings, police units and business establishments across the country—could not have resulted from “momentary anger.” Such synchronised attacks, he said, suggested preparation, planning and intent. “These were not spontaneous acts. These were organised assaults on the nation’s institutions.”
Lekhak also advised the commission to closely investigate who infiltrated the protest, who planned the September 9 attacks, and who executed them. He added that while youth demands must be acknowledged, criminal acts must be treated separately and prosecuted. The former Home Minister also questioned the legal and moral rationale behind limiting his movement. The then prime minister KP Sharma Oli and Lekhak have been barred from leaving the Kathmandu Valley, as they might require to appear before the commission investigating into the matter.
