Rayamajhi commission grills eight royal administrators

The high-level judicial investigation commission interrogated eight former zonal administrators in connection with their alleged role in suppressing the people’s movement-II on Wednesday.

Former zonal administrators Dr Shayam Kishor Singh, Ramji Bista, Janak Jungali, Kumar Bahadur Karki, Rana Bahadur Chand, Lalit Bahadur Thapa Magar, Min Bahadur Pal and Mahendra Man Byathit recorded their statements at the commission’s office at Harihar Bhawan, Lalitpur.

While rest of the former zonal administrators denied any role in the brutal clampdown on the pro-democracy movement in the April movement, Singh said he was ready to take moral responsibility for the suppression.

He further said the then cabinet should also be responsible for the incidents during the movement. He was the zonal administrator of Mechi at that time.

The new government formed after the successful people’s movement had scrapped the zonal and regional administration offices and dismissed the administrators appointed by the royal regime.

The commission had issued summon notices to them on Monday.

The probe commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice Krishna Jung Rayamajhi has already interrogated over four dozen functionaries of the royal regime including former Chief Justice Hari Prasad Sharma, former speaker of the House of Representatives Tara Nath Ranabhat and the vice chairmen-duo of the royal cabinet – Dr Tulsi Giri and Kirti Nidhi Bista - for their alleged role against the people’s movement in April this year. At least 21 agitators were killed and over 4000 others injured during the movement.