Kathmandu [Nepal], Nov 4 – Nepal Government on Wednesday removed Dan Bahadur Karki as chief of Nepal Police and appointed Additional Inspector General (AIG) Manoj KC as his successor, ending Karki’s tenure less than a year after he took charge of the police organisation.
A Cabinet meeting held at Singha Durbar decided to appoint KC as the 34th Inspector General of Police (IGP). The government also decided to appoint Karki as a special adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
The leadership change came after two consecutive days of Cabinet meetings, following weeks of speculation over Karki’s position amid growing tensions between the government and the police leadership.
Karki, who was appointed Nepal’s 33rd IGP on November 10, 2025 was expected to serve for around 26 months. He took charge on November 13 and was eligible to remain in the post until March 31, 2028, under the existing 30-year service rule, according to the details provided.
His removal came amid several controversies including allegations of irregularities in the procurement of uniforms and other equipment for election police, as well as reported contacts with controversial middleman Inam Sapkota.
Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Khagendra Sunar had repeatedly raised allegations of financial irregularities in the procurement process, calling for Karki and the home secretary to be removed to allow an impartial investigation.
Karki, however, denied wrongdoing. During a discussion at the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, he said the police had not spent money on purchasing election police uniforms and that the funds had instead been deposited directly into the accounts of the concerned personnel.
The committee had sought procurement documents, financial details and information on the quality of supplied materials. A parliamentary examination of the matter was underway when pressure on the police chief intensified.
Questions were also raised after reports emerged that Karki and AIG Rajan Adhikari had been in contact with Sapkota, who is under investigation in connection with banking offences and money laundering. The reported contacts prompted further scrutiny of senior police officials.
The government had previously removed an Additional Inspector General of the Armed Police Force, identified in the supplied reports as Banshiraj Dahal, citing evidence of contact with Sapkota.
Karki also faced controversy over a leaked telephone conversation with a journalist, in which he was accused of using threatening and inappropriate language. Separately, reports of sensitive government information being leaked from within the police leadership added to concerns about relations between the government and the police organisation.
Tensions escalated further last Friday after a journalist was arrested. Karki reportedly said the arrest had been carried out on the government’s instructions while the prime minister’s secretariat denied issuing such an order.
