KATHMANDU: Former minister Sumana Shrestha has expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s decision to extend the deadline of the investigation commission formed to probe incidents related to the Gen-Z movement.
Issuing a statement through her secretariat on Tuesday, Shrestha raised serious questions, alleging that the commission’s report has been deliberately delayed for the third time.
“The Gauri Bahadur Commission’s report should have already been made public. It has been postponed for the third time and will now not be released before the election,” Shrestha said. “So what happens now? Those who would have been affected by the report are already relieved.”
She questioned the silence of other political parties, asking whether they were unaffected or simply willing to let the issue fade before the elections. “Is there no anger among other political parties? Do future leaders have no objection? Or is it enough that the election proceeds smoothly?” she asked.
Shrestha also questioned whether new leaders, too, believe they can absolve themselves by shifting blame onto others.
Referring to past commissions, she said reports such as those by the Mallik, Rayamajhi and Lal commissions have largely faded from public memory. “This movement will also be replaced by other news in the media cycle. We will forget it. Its memory will remain limited to the families of martyrs and the injured,” she said.
She further questioned when state impunity would end and how long dissenting voices would continue to face suppression. “Was all this only meant to push the election forward? Will the state’s approach to movements change or not?” she asked.
Shrestha also expressed concern over whether the report would be published in full after the election, partially edited, or simply shelved. She warned that such reports are often used as bargaining tools—either through transitional justice mechanisms or by reopening files to pressure political opponents.
She cautioned that while elections could be disrupted before polling day, the report might not be made public afterward under the pretext of maintaining law and order.
“Politicians must be held accountable. The state security mechanism must be reformed. There can be no peace without justice,” Shrestha said, urging citizens not to forget and to demand accountability. She also called on voters to seek firm commitments from every leader who approaches them during election campaigning.
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