Nepali Congress leaders have advised former home minister Ramesh Lekhak to appear before the inquiry commission investigating the deadly crackdown of the Gen Z protests of September 8 and 9 and record his statement.

A Congress leader, however, told the Post that “although Lekhak is willing to testify, he is facing pressure from party president Sher Bahadur Deuba not to appear before the commission.”

The commission, led by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, on Tuesday sent a summons to Lekhak, who was home minister during the anti-corruption movement that left 77 people dead and scores injured. Lekhak, a Congress leader, resigned on September 8 after 17 unarmed youths were shot dead by police outside the federal parliament.

Party spokesman Prakash Sharan Mahat said that during the party’s central work execution committee on Wednesday, several leaders urged Lekhak to cooperate with the commission by giving his statement.

According to Mahat, many leaders suggested that it would be better for him to go and record his statement.

“Today’s meeting discussed whether former home minister Lekhak should go to record his statement. Party leaders said it would be better to go and give a statement,” Mahat said.

When asked to respond, Lekhak said he is consulting party leaders and will take a decision within the next few days.

The commission has begun summoning political leaders after completing the interrogation of officials who held administrative and security responsibilities during the crackdown. It has so far interrogated over 150 officials.

The commission said it is also set to send a summons to UML chair and then prime minister, KP Sharma Oli.

The government had formed a three-member inquiry commission under retired judge Gauri Bahadur Karki to investigate the excessive use of force and other violent incidents during the Gen Z movement.

The youth-led uprising, organised against corruption, bad governance and nepotism, toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led government. Oli was ousted on the second day of the movement, on September 9, and an interim government led by former chief justice Sushila Karki was formed on September 12.

Meanwhile, the inquiry commission spokesperson Bigyan Raj Sharma has claimed that Lekhak will appear before the commission on Monday.

“After recording Lekhak’s statement we will proceed to record the statement of former Prime Minister Oli,” Sharma told the Post.

Last week, the Cabinet extended the tenure of the commission by a month.

In recent days, Oli has indicated that he is willing to give his statement if the investigators come to his residence, but he would not go to the commission’s office at Singha Durbar. He reiterated this position on Tuesday at Shital Niwas, in the presence of President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister Karki, Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, and Nepali Communist Party coordinator Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The three leaders had met at the call of President Paudel to discuss the upcoming March 5 snap elections.

During the meeting, President Paudel and Dahal urged Oli to visit the commission’s office, saying it would signal respect for the law, a source privy to the meeting told the Post. Paudel and Dahal also suggested that Oli answer only the questions he was comfortable with.

“Later, Oli himself asked the prime minister Karki to send the probe panel to his home,” said the source.

The commission on Tuesday lifted travel restrictions on three officials—former home secretary Gorkarna Mani Duwadi, former IGP Chandra Kuber Khapung and then chief district officer of Kathmandu, Chhabilal Rijal—after they recorded their statements.

Travel restrictions remain in place for UML chair Oli and Congress leader Lekhak.