Home Minister Gurung holds meeting with police chiefs as more arrests likely

KATHMANDU: Sudan Gurung, Nepal’s home minister, held a meeting on Saturday evening with the chiefs of the country’s two security forces at Singha Durbar.

Following the minister’s call, Inspector General of Nepal Police Dan Bahadur Karki and Inspector General of the Armed Police Force Nepal Raju Aryal arrived at Singha Durbar for discussions.

Sources said the meeting is focused on possible security measures the government may take in the coming days. Since Balen Shah assumed office as prime minister, preparations are reportedly underway to reopen files involving leaders of traditional parties, which could lead to further arrests.

Also present at the meeting were Uma Prasad Chaturvedi, additional inspector general at Nepal Police’s operations department; Ishwar Karki, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office; and Ganesh Thada Magar, chief of the operations department of the Armed Police Force.

The meeting comes after the government arrested former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak earlier on Saturday. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) has since announced nationwide protests, while a faction of the Nepali Congress has also taken to the streets.