An internal Nepal Police inventory has revealed that 1,276 rifles and pistols were looted and 98,491 rounds of ammunition are unaccounted for during the recent Gen G protest unrest, raising urgent questions about the use and control of lethal force.

The police document also records a shortfall of 1,315 rubber rounds. Police figures state that, across the two days of unrest, there were 2,220 instances of aerial firing and 3,323 uses of tear-gas canisters.

Given these figures, rights groups and legal observers say an empowered, high-level inquiry is now indispensable to establish how many rounds were actually discharged by security forces and how many were lost in the violence.

Former prime minister KP Sharma Oli has claimed that automatic weapons not belonging to the police were used during the protests, suggesting “infiltration” at demonstrations. His remarks — made on Constitution Day — contrast with evidence of lethal weapons and shells found at protest sites and have fuelled calls for a transparent investigation rather than unilateral assertions from political leaders.

Senior security figures and former officials say the root of the problem lies in the chronic absence of non-lethal crowd-control equipment.

Despite repeated requests over the past decade, the police say the state did not provide sufficient water-cannon, riot-control gear, blank-fire rounds, rubber bullets, or other non-lethal tools.

Procurement proposals submitted to the Home Ministry in recent years included large quantities of such equipment, but purchases were not completed.

Ex-Additional Inspector General of police Pradyumna Karki criticised the operational deployment, saying protocols for graduated use of force were not observed.

“Instead of step-by-step crowd management — from verbal dispersal to water, blanks and rubber rounds — there was an immediate resort to lethal fire,” he said, describing the outcome as a grave failure of professional judgment.

Former administrator Janakaraj Dahal, who has also served as a chief district officer in Kathmandu, echoed concerns about poor strategic planning and command decisions. He said the security command failed to assess the situation properly and to organise layered defences and non-lethal options, which might have averted the tragic loss of life.

The inventory review led by Deputy Inspector General of police Deepak Regmi has begun assessing damage to police infrastructure and the disappearance of loaded weapons. Officials warn that the missing arms and ammunition pose an ongoing threat to public safety if not recovered or properly accounted for.

The report notes previous instances where excessive force by police during demonstrations led to fatalities, highlighting a longer pattern of problems caused by shortages of appropriate non-lethal equipment and inadequate operational training.

With 74 deaths so far linked to the two days of violence and scores still injured, demands are growing for prompt, independent inquiry into both the procurement failures that left security forces ill-equipped and the immediate operational decisions that resulted in the use of lethal force.