- The Nepal government replaced IGP Dan Bahadur Karki with Manoj KC, moving Karki to a new advisory role amid allegations of political interference.
- Leaked recordings and conflicting statements from the ruling party have highlighted internal fractures and coordination failures within the national security establishment.
- Former police officials warn that leadership feuds and political meddling are undermining institutional discipline and compromising ongoing criminal investigations.
- Police actions against journalists and contradictory official narratives have raised serious concerns about press freedom and executive oversight within the force.
Kathmandu, Nepal: The sudden removal of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Bahadur Karki and the subsequent appointment of Additional Inspector General (AIG) Manoj KC have exposed deepening fault lines within the Nepal Police, reigniting widespread concerns over political interference in the force's leadership.
On Wednesday, the Cabinet abruptly replaced Karki—who had roughly 17 months left in his tenure—with KC. To accommodate the change, the government assigned Karki to the newly created role of Special Security Adviser to the Prime Minister, a post retaining the rank of IGP.
Official rationale for the move remains thin. While the government argued that the Prime Minister required specialized security counsel to maintain law and order, it failed to clarify why Karki had to be stripped of his operational command prematurely, or what specific duties his advisory role entails. Consequently, critics suspect the position was created primarily to vacate the top post for KC.
Adding to the confusion, the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) issued conflicting statements regarding the decision. Government spokesperson and Education Minister Sasmita Pokharel claimed the leadership change was carried out on party instructions. However, RSP spokesperson Jagadish Kharel flatly denied issuing any such directive. These contradictory accounts highlight a distinct lack of coordination within the ruling establishment over critical national security appointments.
Internal Fractures, Leaked Media, and Ongoing Probes
This high-level shakeup comes at a sensitive time for the organization, which was already reeling from internal feuds, leaked recordings, and high-profile criminal investigations.
The crisis deepened following the public release of a phone recording on YouTube, reportedly featuring a conversation between then-AIG KC and an individual named Nirajan Bhandari. The audio allegedly references ties between court intermediary Inam Sapkota and senior police officials, while also touching upon the possibility of the IGP’s resignation. Shortly after, video footage surfaced showing Bhandari meeting with then-IGP Karki at a Kathmandu hotel, though the context and purpose of that meeting remain unverified.
Neither the authenticity of these recordings nor the full context has been independently confirmed, and both Karki and KC have refrained from offering detailed public explanations.
Nevertheless, these leaks coincided with the arrest of Inam Sapkota, an alleged intermediary in judicial dealings whose statements reportedly implicate influential politicians, senior judges, and police leadership. While being named in a statement does not constitute proof of wrongdoing, the timing of Karki's removal has sparked intense debate over whether his transfer was engineered to influence ongoing investigations.
Beyond the police force itself, political friction at the top appears to be fueling the unrest. Sources close to Prime Minister Balen Shah suggest that underlying disagreements between Shah and RSP Chairman Rabi Lamichhane may be shaping government appointments—raising concerns that further administrative and political fallout could follow KC’s elevation.
A Heated Six-Hour Meeting Signals Growing Division
The rift among top brass was evident even before the Cabinet took action. On 12 Kartik, IGP Karki convened a Police Coordination Committee (PCC) meeting at Police Headquarters. Departing from routine protocols, Karki summoned Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) from all seven provinces alongside Kathmandu-based officers.
The six-hour marathon session quickly descended into sharp exchanges between Karki and KC. Accounts from participants indicate that Karki accused certain officers of bypassing leadership to visit the Home Ministry and actively undermine his command. In response, KC argued that allegations against individual officers should not be generalized as attacks on the entire institution.
Karki’s move to rally provincial DIGs was seen as an effort to build institutional solidarity—a strategy previously deployed during a controversy involving RSP lawmaker Khagendra Sunar. Sunar had alleged corruption in uniform procurements for election police and demanded the IGP’s resignation, prompting senior officers to jointly approach the Speaker of Parliament in defense of the force.
This time, however, the strategy failed. Instead of presenting a united front, the PCC meeting only exposed deeper divisions within senior leadership.
Reacting to the escalation, former DIG Hemanta Malla Thakuri noted that the feud can no longer be viewed as a simple internal dispute, blaming the government's inaction for allowing the situation to deteriorate. Similarly, former IGP Sarbendra Khanal warned that personal rivalries among leadership threaten to erode the command structure, damage officer morale, and compromise law enforcement operations nationwide.
Press Freedom and Communication Breakdown
Compounding the crisis is a recent controversy involving police action against journalists. Officers recently entered a media house and summoned journalists to the Cyber Bureau for questioning, sparking sharp backlash.
The government's account of the event has been fragmented:
The Prime Minister's Secretariat initially claimed it was kept in the dark regarding the operation.
Press Adviser Deepa Dahal later stated that the journalists were released directly due to the Prime Minister's intervention.
Police Spokesperson DIG Abinarayan Kafle, however, clarified that the Cyber Bureau acted precisely because the Prime Minister’s Office had raised concerns over claims being circulated online.
This breakdown in communication raises serious questions about executive oversight and press freedom. Former senior officers have stressed that political pressure does not grant police the authority to bypass legal procedures. Meanwhile, Home Minister Sudan Gurung has yet to offer a formal explanation, further heightening concerns that the police force is being subjected to political manipulation.
The Path Ahead: Restoring Institutional Integrity
The immediate burden now falls on the government to clarify the legal and administrative grounds for Karki’s removal, justify the newly created advisory role, and ensure that ongoing criminal investigations are not compromised.
Concurrently, incoming IGP Manoj KC faces the formidable challenge of mending fractured relationships among senior leadership, enforcing professional discipline, and insulating operational duties from political interference.
Ultimately, public trust in the Nepal Police depends not on who occupies the IGP office, but on whether the force can uphold the rule of law independently and impartially. Without transparent procedures and strong institutional safeguards, the destructive cycle of political meddling and internal factionalism will continue to undermine the nation's governance.
