A combo photo of eight Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs) of Nepal Police.
KATHMANDU: The government is in the process of transferring eight Additional Inspector Generals (AIGs) of Nepal Police.
The Ministry of Home Affairs had intended to present a transfer proposal to the cabinet on Tuesday, but the decision was abruptly postponed at the last minute.
The home ministry posted Shyamlal Gyawali to the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, Tek Prasad Rai to the Nepal Police Training Academy, Kiran Bajracharya to the Central Investigation Bureau, and Deepak Thapa to the Administration Department on April 3 right after their promotion to AIG. Subsequently, four more AIGs – Sandip Bhandari, Sudip Giri, Meera Chaudhary, and Tek Bahadur Tamang – were promoted four days later.
In accordance with the Nepal Police Regulations, senior officers are typically not transferred until they have completed at least one year in their current positions.
Police sources say AIG Tek Bahadur Rai has expressed dissatisfaction with Inspector General Basanta Bahadur Kunwar over the preparation to transfer AIGs merely four months after taking office. A senior police officer said Rai has advised IGP Kunwar not to succumb to political pressure.
Home ministry sources said preparations are underway to transfer AIG Gyawali to the Nepal Police Training Academy and AIG Thapa to the Kathmandu Valley Police Office.
Police sources say Nepali Congress (NC) is exerting pressure on Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha, and IG Kunwar for the transfer of AIG Gyawali, who is leading the investigation into the Bhutanese refugees scam.
Prominent NC leader Bal Krishna Khand, a former home minister, has been apprehended for involvement in the Bhutanese refugees scam.
“Since the transfer of AIG Gyawali alone would convey a wrong message, there’s mounting pressure to redistribute responsibilities among several other AIGs as well,” a home ministry source said.
The CPN (Maoist Center) is reportedly inclined toward transferring AIG Thapa to the Kathmandu Valley Police Office. Moreover, preparations are being made to recall AIG Bajracharya to police headquarters and transfer AIG Sudip Giri to the Central Investigation Bureau.
AIG Bajracharya is currently leading the investigation into gold smuggling and the Lalita Niwas land grab cases. NC wants the transfer of AIG Bajracharya due to the alleged involvement of some of its leaders in the Lalita Niwas land grab case.
NC has also questioned the working style of the Central Investigation Bureau in the arrest of its lawmaker Sunil Kumar Sharma in a fake academic certificate case.
“The Nepali Congress is pushing for the transfer of certain AIGs. Political forces are actively working to disrupt ongoing investigations,” the home ministry source said.
