KATHMANDU: Home Minister Sudan Gurung has sharply criticized decades of political inaction, saying that for 36 years, law enforcement has focused on minor offenders rather than real criminals.
His comments come as the newly formed government under the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) takes decisive steps to restore public order and hold influential figures accountable.
Since the formation of the government led by the RSP, Minister Gurung has criticized the political parties that previously held power for decades. On Sunday morning, he wrote on social media, “Security personnel have been handcuffed for 36 years.”
On Saturday alone, the Nepal Police launched a special operation against individuals disrupting public services, taking 150 people into custody in the Kathmandu Valley.
According to Kathmandu District Police Range spokesperson Pawan Kumar Bhattarai, the operation targets middlemen, law violators, and those committing hooliganism and harassing passengers in public areas.
“Over the past week, 189 people have been arrested as part of this campaign,” Bhattarai stated. “We are taking action against those who interfere with service delivery, engage in middleman activities at bus parks, airports, and transport offices, and create public disorder. This operation is ongoing.”
Night-time business areas in Kathmandu are also under surveillance, and 16 individuals involved in hooliganism have been arrested, he added.
Nepal Police spokesperson Deputy Inspector General Abhinarayan Kafle noted that a circular has been issued to police offices nationwide to act against middlemen, law violators, and others causing harassment or engaging in criminal activities.
The operation follows the recent arrest of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, occurring shortly after the government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah of the RSP party assumed office. The party won nearly a two-thirds majority with 182 seats in the recent House of Representatives elections.
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