KATHMANDU: CPN-UML Chair KP Sharma Oli has clarified his position regarding the September 8 incident, addressing recent claims that he had ordered firing on citizens while serving as Prime Minister. He termed such claims “completely baseless.”
Oli emphasized that under the constitution, no Prime Minister has the authority to order firing on citizens. “I never gave such an order, nor could I even think of doing so,” he said.
Recalling that a commission led by former Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki was immediately formed to investigate the incident during the Gen-Z movement, Oli paid tribute to the 19 children who lost their lives on September 8.
He explained that the initial decision to restrict the Maitighar Mandala protest was due to possible infiltration, but the administration later allowed the peaceful assembly once permission was formally requested. Oli stated that the Gen-Z protest on the morning of September 8 proceeded peacefully. “There was no firing or baton charge during that period,” he said.
Oli claimed that around noon, infiltrators began moving demonstrators, including children in school uniforms, into restricted areas near the Parliament.
Despite repeated requests by organizers to return home, some groups allegedly used minors as a shield to advance toward the Parliament.
He noted that after attempts at arson and the use of explosives near the Parliament, the law classifies such actions not as “protest” but as “attacks against the state.” The subsequent firing occurred only after direct attacks on security forces inside the Parliament, causing widespread grief.
Oli clarified that security personnel acted under their legal oath, not government orders, and reiterated that no force was used from the peaceful Maitighar protest until the breach at Baneshwor.
He urged citizens not to be swayed by false narratives circulating on social media and expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of the 19 children.
Oli also called for answers regarding who, why, and how youths from the peaceful Maitighar demonstration were led toward a sensitive area like the Parliament on September 8.
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