World
IGP Dan Bahadur Karki Removed Amid Inam Sapkota Probe and Internal Disputes
On Wednesday afternoon, an emergency Cabinet meeting removed Inspector General of Police Dan Bahadur Karki from his post and appointed him as a security adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah. The government says the move is not punitive. However, officials from the prime minister’s secretariat and Police Headquarters point to several factors behind the decision.
Karki’s handling of the investigation into Inam Sapkota, a fixer charged with money‑laundering and banking offences, was a key issue. Sapkota was in police custody and had been in contact with Karki. WhatsApp chats between Supreme Court Justice Hari Phuyal and Sapkota were leaked on the day Karki was to be removed, and Sapkota’s mobile phone was kept by Kumar Byanjankar, the prime minister’s political adviser, for two days. These events reportedly angered the government and led to an emergency Cabinet meeting.
Karki also resisted orders from the secretariat for immediate arrests. When the secretariat asked for the arrest of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana and other officials, Karki raised legal objections and delayed the process. He repeatedly reminded the secretariat that arrests must follow legal procedure, which officials said hindered good governance.
Another factor was a long‑standing preference within Prime Minister Shah’s camp for AIG Manoj KC to become police chief. Although Karki was appointed IGP by Prime Minister Sushila Karki because of seniority, officials close to Shah had favored Manoj KC from the beginning. The preference for KC was cited as a reason for Karki’s removal.
After the Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel said the new post for Karki was a change of responsibility and that no dissatisfaction with him had been expressed. Prime Minister Shah had raised the issue at a regular Cabinet meeting the previous Thursday, citing Karki’s alleged “nexus” with Sapkota. Karki denied any improper relationship with Sapkota, stating that their meeting was ordinary and that he had spoken in English to verify Sapkota’s identity.
The removal was not on the agenda of the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Following the meeting, police called journalists to the Cyber Bureau for questioning after “misleading information spread in the media that the IGP would be removed.” Police detained journalist Bishwamani Subedi on October 30 over a report that the government was preparing to remove the IGP. The police said the crackdown on journalists followed the Prime Minister’s Office’s interest in the matter, although the secretariat denied any such interest.