KATHMANDU, Dec 10: Two security agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs have said that they will not be able to provide security unless they purchase the necessary weapons and vehicles. In a discussion held at the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 29, the IGPs of Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force said that they will not be able to provide peace and security unless they purchase the weapons, vehicles and other essential security equipment required for training.
The heads of the security agencies made this statement during a discussion on the performance of the police force organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs with Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, vice chairman of the National Planning Commission, a representative of the Ministry of Finance, and heads of departments and organizations under the Ministry of Home Affairs. “If we do not purchase weapons, the police will not be able to conduct training. There is no ammunition for training. There is no way to mobilize police personnel during challenging times like unruly protests and demonstrations. There is no equipment for defense,” said Nepal Police IGP Basanta Bahadur Kunwar.
Similarly, IGP of the Armed Police Force, Raju Aryal, said that if the equipment purchased by the security agencies is considered the same as the goods purchased by other offices and the policy is not changed, it will be difficult to provide peace and security at the border. He said that the Armed Police Force faces the highest number of attacks on the Nepal-India border and that the Armed Police Force personnel are being beaten up due to the lack of enough and efficient weapons and other equipment and vehicles.
The police force has been urging the government to purchase weapons, saying that they are facing an acute shortage of weapons. Stating that the inability to purchase weapons for about 10 years has seriously affected peace and security, the police have been urging the government to purchase them.
In the meeting attended by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, National Planning Commission (NPC) Vice Chairman Shivraj Adhikari, Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, and heads of divisions of the home ministry, IGPs Basanta Bahadur Kunwar and Raju Aryal said that the government needed to change its policy on purchasing weapons. "There is not a single good vehicle in the police unit. Vehicles have not been purchased for many years. We have to wait for the election to get new vehicles for the police," said IGP Kunwar of Nepal Police.
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IGP Aryal of the Armed Police Force said that it was wrong to expect border security by just adding border outposts. "We cannot be self-assured thinking that we have increased the BOPs. If we do not provide resources, infrastructure and equipment, we will not be able to achieve the desired results in border security," said IGP Aryal of the Armed Police Force. In the meeting with representatives, both IGPs said that there is a shortage of weapons for training. If equipment is not purchased now, it will be difficult for the police to work for peace and security.
The Nepal Police has been facing extreme shortages due to the recent increase in its organizational structure and posts and the lack of procurement of weapons for more than eight years. After listening to the IGP duo, during the discussion, the Vice Chairman of the National Planning Commission, Adhikari, said that the government should allow the security forces to purchase the necessary equipment even if it is done by changing the national budget and policy. According to sources, NPC Vice Chair Adhikari said that based on the national budget, the government doesn’t seem to have the policy of purchasing new vehicles, but another policy is needed on what if the security agencies need new vehicles.
"It seems that the government's own organs have purchased vehicles in the provinces from the government budget, but it is not necessary to cite the national budget for the procurement of equipment required by the security forces," said NPC Vice Chair Adhikari.
Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Gokarna Mani Duwadi, has also admitted that the police are short of essential security equipment. “The police need essential equipment to maintain peace and security. Discussions are held on this issue from time to time,’ said Home Secretary Duwadi.
Although the government is in the process of purchasing the necessary weapons as per the prevailing law on public procurement from the funds allocated for the purchase of weapons, the purchase has not been made. A high-ranking official at the Nepal Police Headquarters said that despite the increase in posts in the Nepal Police, there has been a problem of shortage of weapons even in training, although the heads of the organizations have repeatedly complained to the line ministry, no one has listened. “There is a need for less lethal handguns, short-range pistols, shotguns and gas cells, which are used to control riots, public unrest and violent activities that disrupt peace and order and to provide a greater sense of security to the common citizen by controlling them from time to time. The police also lack tear gas canisters, small arms used for personal protection, and low-risk weapons used in crowd control. The Nepal Police emphasizes that the budget allocated for the purchase of essential equipment for the Nepal Police from the limited resources of the state should be used to purchase them considering the immediate needs.
IGP Kunwar had told the parliamentary committee in December 2023 how the police were juggling equipment. “During Durga Prasai’s movement, we had to order shields and body protectors from Butwal, Gandaki Province, and Bharatpur Training Center,” IGP Kunwar had said.
On 23rd November 2023, the Durga Prasai group held a big protest demonstration in the capital. At that time, the materials used in training had to be brought to control the mob. The police have been complaining that there was no means of protection when riots and stone-pelting occurred during the demonstration. Police shields break during every movement and demonstration. Police officials claim that at least 4-5 percent of shields break during such challenges to peace and security. But they say that it has been years since new shields were purchased.
The police lack modern equipment for crowd and riot control. In addition, most of the materials are inferior, and the expiration date of tear gas has passed. The police still use tear gas the most to control crowds. The smoke released when the chemical in it is released into the air burns the eyes, making it easy to disperse the crowd. But sources at the Police Headquarters claim that it has been years since the police used that type of tear gas.
The police are not in a position to ban expired tear gas though it has a long-term impact on human health. Based on the method of use and the device used to fire the tear gas, the police use six types of tear gas. Based on the chemical content of the tear gas, they use two types: CN and CS. Since CN is considered relatively toxic, many countries have stopped using it after 1959. According to the information given by the source, the police currently have 60 to 65 thousand gas cells, but the expiration date of 57 thousand tear gas cells has passed. The police have not purchased more gas cells since purchasing 4000 cells in 2020.
Although a Cabinet meeting held in Baisakh 2079 BS (mid-April to mid-May 2022) approved the purchase of shotguns (folding) and 9 mm pistols, the police have not been able to purchase those weapons yet. On the basis of the Cabinet decision, the police had called a tender for the purchase of weapons in accordance with the provisions of the Security, Strategic or Defense Supply Procedure, 2064 BS and the Public Procurement Regulations, and was going to purchase weapons for about Rs 840 million last year by calling an estimate of 939 million 975 thousand rupees. However, despite widespread criticism, the government backed down. The then home minister Janardan Sharma had ensured the sources for the purchase of weapons on April 5, 2022.
