Kunwar was appointed as the new head of the Nepal Police from among newly-promoted AIGs as AIGs Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, Uttam Subedi and Dibesh Lohani also retired from the service on Friday along with IGP Singh.

KATHMANDU, March 25: The newly-appointed Inspector General (IG) of Nepal Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar has pledged to bring reforms within the organization.

Talking to Republica shortly after his appointment as new head of Nepal Police, Kunwar promised to take effective initiatives to improve the conduct and behavior of police personnel and purify the organization. "I will work internally to revitalize the police force. I will continue the good work done by former heads of the organization,” he said.

Kunwar also said that he would work towards making crime investigation technology-friendly and provide various training to police personnel in the field of scientific investigation. “I will take initiatives to make the police organization completely people-oriented and people-friendly. Our organization will work for the peace and security of the people," said Kunwar.

A cabinet meeting held on Friday took a decision to appoint Singh as the new head of Nepal Police after incumbent police Chief Dhiraj Pratap Singh retired on Friday on the ground of 30-year service limit implemented in the organization.

Along with Kunwar, Tek Prasad Rai, Deepak Thapa, Shyam Lal Gyawali and Kiran Bajracharya, who were promoted recently to the post of Additional Inspector General (AIG), were contenders for the post of IG of Nepal Police.

Kunwar was appointed as the new head of the Nepal Police from among newly-promoted AIGs as AIGs Sahakul Bahadur Thapa, Uttam Subedi and Dibesh Lohani also retired from the service on Friday along with IGP Singh.

The DIGs and AIGs have not been able to serve for their full terms due to 30 years of service term provision due to a 30-year service limited provisioned in the Police Act, 2012. The same provision paved the way for Kunwar to be appointed as new head of the police organization within a few days after his promotion as AIG.

Kunwar joined Nepal Police on March 19, 1995 as an inspector and will retire in mid-April 2025 if the existing 30-year service limit provision is not removed from the Police Act. He brings a rich experience of working in various districts across the country in different capacities. He also headed Kathmandu Valley Crime Division for a few years.

Kunwar faces accusations of human rights violations during the Maoist insurgency, including his alleged involvement in a 2009 torture case while serving as police chief in Siraha district. The government had earlier promoted Kunwar to AIG despite objections made by conflict victims. He was deployed to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia, but was recalled in October 2011, just three months after his posting, due to the same allegation. 

 
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