NextFin news, Nepal's interim government formed a high-level judicial inquiry commission on Sunday, September 21, 2025, in Kathmandu to investigate the violence and destruction that occurred during the Gen-Z student protests earlier this month.
The three-member commission is led by former Special Court Chair and retired High Court judge Gauri Bahadur Kaki. The other members include former Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Bigyan Raj Sharma and advocate Bishweshwor Prasad Bhandari. The commission has been given a three-month mandate to complete its investigation, as per the Commission of Inquiry Act.
The decision followed a Council of Ministers meeting, with Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal confirming that the formation of the commission and its members was finalized on Sunday, following a prior agreement in last week's Cabinet session.
The commission's formation comes after police killed 21 protesting students and youths on September 8, 2025, during demonstrations in front of Nepal's parliament. The protests were part of an anti-corruption movement and opposition to a social media ban. The following day, an additional 39 people died, including 15 from burns, with 12 more deaths recorded in the days after the violence.
Postmortem reports indicated that those killed by police firing in Kathmandu Valley died from bullet injuries to the head and chest, despite police regulations permitting firing only below the knee to control protests.
On September 12, the interim government declared those who died in the Gen-Z uprising as martyrs and announced a cash relief of one million Nepali rupees to the families of the deceased. The Cabinet also approved an additional half a million rupees for these families during its first meeting after Prime Minister Sushila Karki's appointment on the same day.
The protests caused extensive property damage, with a preliminary government survey reporting about 700 vehicles torched and permanently damaged, including over 250 four-wheelers and more than 450 two-wheelers.
Insurance claims related to the destruction have surged, totaling approximately 20.70 billion Nepali rupees. The Nepal Insurance Authority recorded 1,984 claims, mostly from private businesses and properties. Public structures remain uninsured, except for government vehicles covered under third-party liability.
Private insurers such as Oriental Insurance, Siddhartha Premier Insurance, and Shikhar Insurance have faced significant claims, with Oriental Insurance alone receiving claims worth over 5.1 billion rupees. The government-owned Nepal Reinsurance Company carries liabilities of 11.77 billion rupees from 14 non-life insurers, covering prominent institutions and businesses affected by the unrest.
Notable losses include damage to Bhat-bhateni Superstore, Kantipur Media Group, Ullens School, CG Impex, United Distributors, and the looting of 18 kilograms of gold from Rastriya Banijya Bank's New Baneshwor branch, as well as claims from Pokhara-based Bagaicha Hotel and Hotel Sarobar.
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