The commission investigating the brutal crackdown of the September 8-9 Gen Z protests has submitted its report to the government, setting in motion discussions on how its recommendations will be implemented.

While Prime Minister Sushila Karki has said key findings may be made public even if the full document is not immediately released, experts and commission members note that any action will ultimately depend on the mandate of the incoming government. Some recommendations could be acted upon right away, while others may require further investigation or long-term measures.

The probe committee, led by Special Court former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, handed the report to Prime Minister Karki at Singha Durbar on Sunday. The contents of the report have yet to be made public.

However, the government has indicated that it may move ahead with implementing the report’s recommendations.

After receiving the report, Prime Minister Karki said the government would first study the document and then move forward with the process of implementation. She added that discussions would be held on whether to make the report public.

“The prime minister has said that even if the entire report cannot be made public, at least some of its key conclusions will be disclosed,” said Ram Bahadur Rawal, press adviser to the prime minister, after the handover of the report.

The government had formed the commission on September 21 last year to investigate the state crackdown on the anti-corruption Gen Z protests. Besides Gauri Bahadur Karki as its head, the panel included former AIG Bigyan Raj Sharma and legal practitioner Bishweshwar Bhandari as members.

During the investigation, the commission recorded statements from over 150 individuals, including government officials and eyewitnesses, regarding the incidents during the Gen Z protests that saw a total of 77 people dead, including dozens of unarmed youths shot dead by police.

At the time of the movement, the government was led by CPN-UML chair KP Sharma Oli. The home minister was Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak, Gokarna Mani Duwadi was the home secretary, Chandra Kuber Khapung was the inspector general of Nepal Police, and Chhabi Lal Rijal was the chief district officer of Kathmandu.

The government had earlier extended the commission’s deadline twice. Most recently, it added another 25 days, effectively delaying the submission of the report until after the March 5 snap elections. The decision drew criticism from various quarters. However, three days after the election, the commission finally handed over its report to the government.

A member of the commission told the Post that the report has recommended criminal action against several officials and individuals.

The member said action has been recommended against some officials who were in positions of authority at the time, accusing them of playing a role in the use of lethal force without adequately assessing the situation.

“Criminal proceedings have been recommended against the then Inspector General of Police Chandra Kuber Khapung, Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer Chhabi Lal Rijal, and the chief of the District Police Range Kathmandu Bishwa Adhikari, among others,” the member told the Post.

The commission also examined the roles of the then prime minister Oli, home minister Lekhak, and communications minister Prithvi Subba Gurung.

Sources close to the commission, however, would not clearly state what kind of action, if any, has been recommended against these officials.

In the past, two separate commissions were formed to investigate the roles played by the authorities in suppressing major pro-democracy movements in Nepal. First, the Mallik Commission, led by former justice Janardan Lal Mallik, examined the actions of the Panchayat government during the 1990 democratic movement, while another, led by former justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi, investigated the royal government’s attempt to quell the 2006 people’s movement.

However, the reports of the two commissions were never implemented. In such a context, the question now arises: will the Karki commission report meet with the same fate?

“We believe that will not be the case,” said senior advocate Bhandari, member of the Karki commission.

The report submitted by the commission is essentially a fact-finding document on the incidents that occurred during the Gen Z movement, he said.

According to constitutional law expert Chandrakanta Gyawali, the interim government that has received the report can carry out further investigations based on its recommendations.

“Whether additional studies are conducted and action is taken against those found responsible—based on the report’s recommendations—will ultimately depend on the discretion of the government that will be formed next,” Gyawali states. “The interim government itself is not expected to directly implement the report.”

However, Rawal, the press adviser to the prime minister, said the implementation of the report could take place in three phases.

According to him, some recommendations may be suitable for immediate action, others may require long-term measures, while certain issues might call for further investigation.

Rawal added that Prime Minister Karki and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal will study the report and present a synopsis at the next Cabinet meeting. He maintained that some recommendations could be implemented right away.

Meanwhile, commission member Bhandari said the interim government could also move ahead with implementing the report. However, he argued that its implementation would carry greater legitimacy if it is carried out by the next government that comes with a fresh mandate.

Meanwhile, the Rastriya Swatantra Party, which appears set to win around 125 of the 165 seats under the first-past-the-post system in the March 5 election and secure a significant share of the 110 proportional representation seats, is preparing to form the government. However, the party’s vice-president, DP Aryal, says it is too early for him to comment on the implementation of the report.

“The party needs to discuss the report internally, and with the government yet to be formed, it would not be appropriate to comment on it now,” Aryal told the Post.