Nepal government sacks IGP Dan Bahadur Karki, appoints Manoj Kumar KC amid political friction

KATHMANDU — The Nepal government has effectively sacked Dan Bahadur Karki from his position as Inspector General of Police (IGP), appointing Manoj Kumar KC as the new chief. During an emergency Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the government removed Karki by transferring him to a newly created role as the special security adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah. KC, who previously served as an Additional Inspector General (AIG), assumes the top post immediately.

While government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel framed the leadership shuffle as a standard change in responsibilities rather than a punitive action, multiple reports indicate Karki’s removal stemmed from escalating friction with the prime minister’s secretariat. The tensions reportedly peaked after Karki briefed the prime minister on a nexus between Inam Sapkota, a fixer detained on money laundering charges, and the prime minister’s political adviser, Kumar Byanjankar. Sources stated that Karki warned the government could face embarrassment over the issue, but he was subsequently accused of leaking the sensitive information.

Additionally, the prime minister’s office grew frustrated with Karki’s reluctance to immediately execute directives. Karki repeatedly cited legal objections to demands such as the sudden arrest of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana. Beyond his clashes with the secretariat, the government and police were also at odds following the recent police detention of journalist Bishwamani Subedi and others over reports regarding the IGP’s impending removal.