After the Gen-G movement on 23 August and the violent demonstration on 24 August, fear has also increased along with hope in the society. After the political and strategic weakness on 23 August and the violent demonstration on 24 August, the morale of the police has dropped to the lowest level.

Allegation and 'counter' allegation risk of conflict

Gen-G campaigners are increasing pressure on the government to immediately arrest the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Home Minister Ramesh Akhtar regarding the suppression of the Gen-G movement and the shooting of youths. Similarly, UML's youth-student organization has also launched a campaign to arrest Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah and Gen-G leader Sudan Gurung on the charge of inciting youth to commit arson and vandalism. Society is terrified of conflict when trust in the rule of law is low. But the government has such 

has sought immediate relief by adopting a policy of sending complaints to a high-level inquiry committee. The youth of Zen-G filed a complaint with the police on Tuesday, demanding that the then Prime Minister and UML President Oli, the then Home Minister and Congress leader and writer, the then Chief District Officer in Kathmandu, Chhabi Rizal, and the police involved in suppressing the movement should be prosecuted in a criminal case. The police has sent the complaint to the Commission of Inquiry into the 23-24 August agitation and violence, which was formed under the chairmanship of former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki. 

On the other hand, UML leaders are giving a warning speech saying that 'anything can happen' if Oli is arrested, UML's student organization Akhil has filed a complaint with the police of Kathmandu and other districts on Wednesday accusing Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah and Sudan Gurung of 'Hami Nepal' as the main perpetrators of vandalism, arson and violence. A complaint has also been registered against Mayor Shah and Gen-G Yuva Gurung personally in the Kathmandu Police on Wednesday. Both types of complaints registered with the police have increased the suspicion that there may be a retaliatory double movement among the general public and that the conflict will break out. 

Who has 900 weapons out of 1281 looted?

On August 24, the police office was set on fire and 1,281 weapons were stolen. Out of that, only 300 weapons have been recovered. Among the looted weapons are automatic rifles like INSAs, SLRs, SMGs, revolvers and pistols. According to the analysis of the police, there is a risk that these weapons will be used against the society and the state at any time.

The then Prime Minister Oli along with his Cabinet members were targeted by the police agitators when the Nepali Army had already airlifted them. Their prisoners were robbed, severely beaten, their weapons and means of communication confiscated. "It has increased the morale of the miscreants so much that even now things like using bad words and behaving rudely with the police are happening," says an officer of the District Police Complex Kathmandu, "In this way, it has become easier for us to return to the office when the members of the civil society themselves go out on patrol." "Everyone is requested to give due respect to such persons if they bring arms and ammunition within the said date or if they are informed about it," the notification said, "If anyone is found with the missing arms and ammunition after the said date, they will be informed that action will be taken according to law." "We are running a special operation in all seven provinces to find weapons," says police spokesperson DIG Vinod Ghimire, "those who are found hiding them will be dealt with according to the Arms and Weapons Act." After the warning of the government and the society, 9 thousand 11 people have now gone to jail. 5,542 are still beyond the reach of the state. Among them are accused of murder, rape and drug dealing. Those who came out have committed murder and rape.  Amid the

movement, 14,553 prisoners, 13,589 from prisons and 964 from correctional facilities, escaped. Director of the Prison Management Department, Chomendra Neupane, said that 9,011 of them, 8,670 from prisons and 341 from correctional facilities, have returned by Wednesday. "There are still 5,500 prisoners to come, most of them are those who are on trial or serving prison terms for drug and rape-related crimes," he says. The police of the division have gathered in the circle. The process of showing respect to traffic and patrol police by individuals or groups has not stopped. The police said that there is a situation where they have to do duty in plain clothes, and they have demanded from the leadership for such an arrangement. 

The police circle, Maharajgunj, which has become a ruin after the Gen-G movement, started to visit the high-ranking officers for inspection from 25 August. Police Assistant Inspector Milan Rai and police constable Uttam Thapa lost their lives to the higher officers who reached this post. The police constable told his state of mind, 'Sir, this is the day my uniform has been lost.' Some of the constables who saw Bardi's friends killed by the beatings of the protestors also offered to work in 'plain clothes'. The high officials reminded that the service of the security personnel is not always easy and tried to remind them to work in a way that wins the hearts of the people. They assured that they will try their best for that. The expression expressed by the soldiers of Maharajganj shows the level of morale of the police, which should be engaged in the protection of the people.

Night without the police: Civilian patrols in slums

Since the police themselves have to be safe, ordinary citizens have started patrolling by themselves in groups in the capital and in different parts of the country to avoid robbery. For this, groups have been created on networks like 'WhatsApp' and 'Messenger'.

In the absence of the police, citizens themselves are not able to feel safe. After the Gen-G protestors entered the Parliament building, the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had already resigned and the police officers were forced to retreat. Almost no state presence was seen on the streets till 10pm. There were incidents of random looting, vandalism and arson. 'Random vandalism, arson and anarchy - that day proved what a society would be like without the police,' says Murari Koirala, coordinator of Phulbari Toll Improvement Committee in Koteshwar, 'That day felt so unsafe that we started a civil patrol in the tol from the next day.' "Many women in particular said they felt insecure when walking on the streets, even children and others were afraid to walk," Koirala recalled, "When the police were not present, people who drank alcohol and made noise at night, gathered unnecessarily, stole and had bad attitudes were seen on the streets." "Later, the police told us not to go alone and take them with us," he added, "Many weapons were lost during the movement, so walking unarmed would have been a challenge, so after a few days we started walking with the police behind us." When the morale of the criminal is weak, then the morale of the criminal increases, so it is also the responsibility of the citizens to help the state to create a safe environment in this sensitive situation. In a meeting called by the Prime Minister on Monday night in Baluwatar, they said that they should adopt restraint to face the challenges that may arise and to create a favorable environment for the elections to be held on February 21.

Commander-in-Chief Ashokraj Sigdel, Inspector General of Nepal Police Chandrakuver Khapung, Inspector General of Armed Police Force Raju Aryal and Chief of National Investigation Tekendra Karki suggested the government to take steps to create a normal life atmosphere by finding a political solution through elections. 

In consultation with Prime Minister Karki, they gave a 'briefing' about the situation that would arise if the then Prime Minister Oli and the Home Minister were arrested or not, the analysis of whether or not there is a possibility of further riots and the efforts being made to disrupt religious harmony. Security officials have analyzed that the government should not take any drastic measures when the Election Commission has announced the election of the House of Representatives on February 21.

'There is no position to hold elections without the support of the parties, in that case it may be more difficult to tease them now,' an official said about the discussion in the meeting, 'How can it be that the staff, police and others will be taken action on that and the elections should be held again with the same mechanism?' Commander-in-Chief Sigdel said that in a fluid political situation, one should be aware that there may be an attempt to stir up harmony in the society. Mentioning that road demonstrations are being announced from various parties and warnings are coming, he gave a 'briefing' that in case of such demonstrations, there may be infiltration of various interest groups and there may be bloodshed.  According to

insiders, every time the regime changes, the police are targeted. Whether it is the 2046 movement or the 2062/63 movement, Subedi says that when a new situation is created in the country, the police are targeted as a mechanism of the old state party. "However, the society can never move forward by demoralizing the police, after all, having a society without security is not a good thing for anyone," he says.

Similarly, Umesh Mainali, who was the home secretary when the new government was formed after the people's movement of 2062/63, also says that he feels that the morale of the police is very low. "Even when I was in the Ministry of Home Affairs, the 1,800 police bases across the country were shrunk to 500, the police themselves were displaced," he says, recalling the situation after the Maoist conflict. "For that, the first thing to be done is to build police stations, to create an environment where they can easily return to the office," says Mainali, "Then the morale can be increased by making them believe that there will be no interference in their role of investigating crimes, and that there will be no political pressure on transfer-promotion and morale development." Remembering that after the successful completion of the election, he suggests that the government should take the police along with it.

However, sometimes the government has to sit in a meeting all night because of the statement given by Jen-G and the injured family, and sometimes it has to be busy discussing what to do if the group comes out to demonstrate again. "Despite the situation, the ministry is trying to listen to the voices of all sides by taking the petition of both Gen-G and the Aneraswabiyu who came against it," says a police officer, "that is to not let the society become more agitated, but to create an environment that works together." The officers say that this is the reason why all the heads of the security agencies suggested to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to exercise restraint when there was widespread pressure to arrest Oli and the writer. ‘आखिर अहिले जस्तो भयको वातावरण कायम रहे ६ महिनामा चुनाव कसरी हुन्छ ?,’ उनी प्रश्न गर्छन्, ‘सुरक्षित वातावरण बनाउन सबै पक्षले साथ दिनु जरुरी छ ।’

'हस्तक्षेप नहुने ग्यारेन्टी दिएर प्रहरीको मनोबल उकास्नुपर्छ’

उमेश मैनाली, पूर्व गृहसचिव

प्रहरीको खस्किएको मनोबल कसरी उकास्ने होला ? 

पहिलो, उनीहरूको आवश्यकता पूरा गर्ने हो । ध्वस्त भएका संरचना निर्माण गरिदिने । बर्दी र हतियार लुटिएका छन् । उनीहरूको अत्यावश्यक सबै चिजको व्यवस्था गर्ने र चौकी निर्माण गर्ने पहिलो प्राथमिकता हुनुपर्छ । दोस्रो, गिरेको मनोबल उठाउनुपर्छ । त्यो मनोबल कसरी उठाउने भन्दा उनीहरूलाई जुन अपराध अनुसन्धान गर्ने भूमिका हो, त्यसमा हस्तक्षेप हुँदैन भन्ने प्रत्याभूति दिलाउनुपर्छ । 

शान्ति सुरक्षा र अनुसन्धानका कामदेखि सरुवा–बढुवा तथा वृत्ति विकासमा कुनैपनि खालको राजनीतिक हस्तक्षेप हुँदैन भन्ने ग्यारेन्टी गर्नुपर्छ । त्यो भएपछि केही मनोबल उठ्छ । किन कि, प्रहरीको मनोबल यति तल्लोस्तरमा यसअघि कहिल्यै गिरेको थिएन ।

प्रहरी भएन भने कस्तो अराजकता हुँदो रहेछ भन्ने २४ भदौको बेलुकी पनि देखियो नि होइन ? 

त्यो कुरा सबैलाई थाहा भयो । प्रहरी नै भएन भने राज्यको औचित्य नै सिद्धिन्छ । राज्यको पहिलो जिम्मेवारी भन्ने नै नागरिकको शान्ति सुरक्षा हो । नागरिकको जीउ र धनको सुरक्षा हो । त्यो भएपछि न अरू चिज पछि आउने हुन् । जीउ, धनको सुरक्षा भएन भने राज्यको औचित्य नै सिद्धिन्छ । त्यसैले प्रहरीको मनोबल उठाउनुपर्छ र प्रहरी जताततै ‘भिजिबल’ हुनुपर्छ । त्यो भएन भने राज्यप्रति एकदमै नकारात्मक सन्देश जान्छ ।

कतिपय प्रहरीले सधैं ठूला आन्दोलनपछि हामीलाई पुरानो सत्ताको एजेन्सीका रूपमा हेरियो, आखिरमा हामी जुन सरकार आए पनि उनीहरूको आदेश पालक मात्र हौं भन्छन् नि ?

उहाँहरूको भनाइ ठिकै हो । किनभने, हरेक आन्दोलनपछि विभिन्न छानबिन हुन्छ । त्यसमा कसले गोली चलायो भन्ने हुन्छ । त्यो बेला खासमा उनीहरूले राज्यको आदेश कार्यान्वयन गरेको हुन्छ । तर प्रहरीले पनि बुझ्नुपर्ने कुरा हो, यस्ता ठूल्ठूला आन्दोलनमा प्रतिवेदन जे आए पनि प्रहरीलाई कारबाही पनि त भएको छैन नि । त्यसकारण छानबिन पनि हुन्छ होला, तर त्यसपछि के हुन्छ भन्ने भविष्यले बताउला । २०४७ मा मल्लिक आयोगको प्रतिवेदनपछि कुनै ठूलो कारबाही भएको होइन । २०६२/६३ आन्दोलनपछि पनि म नै गृहसचिव थिएँ । त्यहाँ त्यस्तो कारबाही भएको होइन । त्यसैले उहाँहरूले के बुझ्नुपर्छ भने राज्यको आदेश कार्यान्वयन गर्ने हो । र, त्योभन्दा पनि ठूलो कुरा शान्ति सुरक्षा कायम गर्ने हो । त्यसकारण अहिले खस्किएको मनोबल उठाउनुपर्छ । राज्यका निकाय त्यसमा काम गरिरहेका होलान् भन्ने लाग्छ । त्यसकारण हरेक परिवर्तनपछि प्रहरीलाई पहिलेको सरकारको संस्था हो भन्ने सोचाइ राख्नु हुँदैन ।