The Commission of Inquiry is investigating the demolition at the 122-year-old building of Singha Durbar, which was vandalized and set on fire on 24 Bhadra.
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Have you noticed this photo of an old building that caught fire on 24 Bhadra after the Gen-G movement? Even international media outlets have used this photo of Singha Durbar the most.
However, few have mentioned that this building housed the offices of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers. Currently, the commission led by former Justice Gauri Bahadur Karki is investigating the brutal repression of the Gen-G movement on Bhadra 23 and the destruction caused during the Bhadra 24 protest.
Karki, who is also a former Justice, and members Vigyanraj Sharma and Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari live in the second-floor room where the Council of Ministers met until a month and a half ago. A place has also been prepared there to take statements from government officials and others. The commission has already taken the statement of Nakkhu Prison Chief Satyaraj Joshi here. He has been questioned about everything from the reason for the prisoners' escape by vandalizing the prison to the letters he wrote about Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSWP) President Rabi Lamichhane. Lamichhane himself was also taken to this office and his statement was recorded on Wednesday. This week, police officers and administrators who were deployed in the field throughout the Gen-G movement will also be questioned here.
According to commission member Vigyanraj Sharma, this office has also been set up to send a message that Singha Durbar was not destroyed by fire. ‘We have the responsibility of investigating the loss of life and property during the movement, and for that, the old Prime Minister’s Office, which was damaged during the movement, seemed appropriate and we settled there,’ he said. ‘Everyone understands that investigating from here also sends a kind of message.’
After the commission was formed on 30 Bhadra, the work was initially started from the Meteorological Department located next to the District Administration Office. ‘But it was not suitable for security reasons, anyone could come up,’ Sharma said, ‘Then we asked the Home Minister to make alternative arrangements for the office.’ After informing the Home Minister, the members of the commission themselves started looking for a vacant space within Singha Durbar. During that time, their eyes fell on the building that housed the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ office until before the Gen-G movement.
In the situation created after the movement, after Sushila Karki became Prime Minister, the Prime Minister’s office was managed in the building in front of the old Home Ministry. The old Prime Minister and Council of Ministers’ office was vacant. ‘After looking for a place for the commission, we came to the conclusion that it could be made suitable for accommodation there,’ Sharma said, ‘Then we started managing the space after talking to the Home Ministry.’
According to the members of the commission, it was discussed that it would be good to stay there if possible, especially because of the historical background of this building. The ground floor of the building had been demolished by the protesters. The fourth floor was vandalized and documents were taken out and set on fire. The Prime Minister's office was also vandalized and set on fire. Anger against the then Prime Minister Oli was expressed on the walls of the office. The walls, which were blackened by smoke, were scratched with fingers in places, and spray was even used in some places.
The damage on the first floor was comparatively less. 'Then we chose the cabinet meeting room, which also had a good carpet, but the furniture was not of any use,' Sharma added. 'Since we were told to stay there, we started looking for chairs and tables left in other rooms in the office and arranged the office ourselves.'
Before the movement, the room where the Chief Secretary lived is now used by the Commission's employees and police officers. The Commission is also using the other rooms. ‘The walls were blackened by smoke, but we made them habitable again by painting and wiring,’ adds Sharma, ‘We hope that after we move in, the message will be sent that this building of Singha Durbar has not completely turned into ashes.’ Interestingly, ‘fire extinguishers’ are still visible on every floor of this building.
According to the inscription in the office, this building was built 122 years ago in 1860 BS by the then Prime Minister Shri 3 Chandrashamsher Jabra. In 2030 BS, there is a history of a fire in the main building of Singha Durbar due to an electrical short circuit. ‘The picture that has come out now showing the fire is the same part that caught fire at that time,’ says historian Prof. Rajesh Gautam, ‘It was later reconstructed and used.’
According to Gautam, many prime ministers of the Rana regime ruled from this building. After democracy came in 2007 BS, all the prime ministers since BP Koirala have lived here continuously. Later, the building was damaged by the earthquake of 12 Baisakh 2072 BS. At that time, the National Reconstruction Authority also lived and worked in this building. According to Prof. Govinda Raj Pokharel, former Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, the building was reinforced and used as an office at that time. ‘When they tried to demolish the western facade, I worked to protect the structure with a history of more than 100 years,’ Pokharel recalled. ‘After that, we protected the archaeological structure with the old foundation, design and model. Now it is sad to hear that the structure has been damaged again.’ According to Bhandari, a member of the
commission, although there was some delay in the work of the commission due to Dashain and Tihar, the work of interrogations, statements and other activities will now be intensified. "The work, including the statements of many people, will be completed within two weeks," he says, "We are working to prepare the report within the specified period."
Karki, who heads the commission, is a former president of the special court, while Sharma is a former Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG). Bhandari, on the other hand, has a long experience in the legal field. He has worked as a legal advisor in East Timor and the Golan Heights under the United Nations peacekeeping mission.
