The Home Ministry is considering creating two new positions of Additional Inspector General of Police, increasing the number of AIGs to 13, to accommodate police officials close to the ruling parties.

Although a Cabinet meeting on July 10 had approved 11 positions for AIG of Nepal Police, the ministry is preparing to table the proposal to the Cabinet for adding two more AIGs. Home Secretary Lok Darshan Regmi said that discussions were on to increase the number of AIGs.

Interestingly, the MoHA has already recommended 11 names for AIGs. DIGs Bam Bahadur Bhandari, Jay Bahadur Chand, Devendra Subedi, Pashupati Upadhyay, Kesari Raj Ghimire, Madhav Prasad Joshi, Bijay Lal Kayastha, Kamal Singh Bam, Mingmar Lama, Rana Bahadur Chand and Bijay Kumar Bhatta have been recommended for promotion.

As names of some of the DIGs, including Pankaj Shrestha, Hemanta Pal and Madhav Nepal, were not included on the previous list, the proposal to increase the AIG positions is aimed at incorporate these candidates, a Home Ministry source said.  

With criticism over the Cabinet decision to increase the number of AIGs to 11 still simmering, the latest development questions Home Minister Janardan Sharma’s intent in stop interfering in security bodies. Minister Sharma, who had gained accolades for his leadership as Minister for Energy—particularly in reducing power outage, has been claiming that political interference will not be seen in promotion of Nepal Police. 

As well as increasing burden on the state exchequer, creating new AIG positions is likely to invite conflicts among police officials regarding the units they will head. 

The Home Ministry had earlier stated that they would deploy one AIG in each province and four AIGs in the Kathmandu Valley—one each at Nepal Police headquarters, Nepal Police Academy, Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s Office and Nepal Police Hospital.

Even if the Cabinet endorses the additional AIG positions, it will clearly violate Nepal Police Regulations 2014, that talks on conducting an Organisation and Methods survey before adding new positions.