Gen-Z Movement Case: Former Kathmandu CDO Chhabi Rijal Arrested, Probe Intensifies

Kathmandu. Police have arrested Chhabi Rijal, the then Chief District Officer (CDO) of Kathmandu, in connection with the Gen-Z movement incident. According to police sources, he was taken into custody from the Subidhanagar area.A high-level investigation commission formed to probe the incidents during the protests held on Bhadra 23 and 24 had found Rijal responsible and recommended action against him. Following the government’s decision to implement the report, he was arrested.The incident, in which teenagers lost their lives due to police firing in the Baneshwor area, had sparked widespread controversy across the country. Rijal, who was serving as the CDO at the time, has been accused of ordering security forces to open fire.However, in his statement to the commission, Rijal denied issuing any order to use lethal force. Despite this, the commission concluded that there was administrative accountability and recommended legal action.Earlier, based on the same report, former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had also been taken into custody, making the case politically and legally sensitive. Investigations are still ongoing.