Kathmandu, October 6
The suspension of Armed Police Force (APF) Additional Inspector General (AIG) Banshiraj Dahal has raised questions inside Nepal’s security establishment, with investigators looking into his alleged links with individuals under investigation and the possible leakage of sensitive state information.
The Home Ministry announced Dahal’s suspension on Monday evening, saying he had allegedly leaked sensitive security-related information and acted in breach of official conduct. The ministry, however, did not say what information Dahal allegedly disclosed.
What has brought the serving AIG under scrutiny appears to be a chain of events that began with a former chief justice being taken into police custody in the middle of the night.
The midnight visit
On September 26, police went to the residence of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana late at night and took him to the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office in Teku at around 2 am. About an hour later, Dahal arrived at the same office.
According to sources, the AIG reached Teku at around 3am, met Rana and remained there for roughly two hours before leaving at around 5am.
The timing of the visit drew attention because Rana was in police custody and Dahal had allegedly gone to meet him without informing the relevant authorities.
Dahal and Rana are related by marriage, with Rana being Dahal’s father-in-law. Dahal is said to have gone to the crime investigation office after learning that Rana had been taken into custody. But investigators have also questioned whether a serving AIG should have visited a person in police custody in the middle of the night without going through the chain of command.
The incident was reportedly brought to the attention of both the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office. It later became one of the issues surrounding Dahal’s suspension.
Then came the phone trail
Rana was kept at the crime investigation office for around 12 hours. During that period, police examined his mobile phone and messages. Investigators reportedly found contacts and conversations that led them to another person, identified as Inam Sapkota.
Sapkota was subsequently placed under investigation.
The Nepal Police Special Bureau arrested him at Tribhuvan International Airport several days ago while he was preparing to travel to Delhi. He was reportedly questioned for a day before being handed over to the Kathmandu District Police Range.
Kathmandu Police spokesperson SP Dan Bahadur Thapa said Sapkota is currently being investigated for alleged indecent behaviour after police obtained a detention extension from the Kathmandu District Administration Office. But investigators are looking beyond that charge.
According to sources, examination of Sapkota’s phone revealed connections with Rana, Dahal and several other security officials.
It was the alleged frequency of communication between Sapkota and Dahal that reportedly brought the AIG further under the government’s scrutiny.
What information was allegedly exchanged?
This is where the investigation takes a more serious turn.
A senior source claimed that investigators found exchanges between Dahal and Sapkota concerning information about the activities of Prime Minister Balen Shah. The source also claimed that information relating to the prime minister’s activities and financial transactions was found on the phone.
Investigators are said to have found conversations that allegedly referred to specific amounts of money.
“These matters are being investigated seriously,” the source said.
However, the government has not publicly disclosed the specific information Dahal is accused of leaking, nor has it publicly confirmed the details of the alleged exchanges. The allegations therefore remain part of an ongoing investigation.
The timing makes the suspension more significant
Dahal’s suspension comes just as his tenure as AIG was nearing its end. He was appointed AIG on May 11, 2022 and was due to complete his four-year term on October 13.
Under the APF Rules, an AIG normally serves a four-year term. However, the government can extend the tenure by one year on the recommendation of the APF inspector general.
APF headquarters had already recommended that Dahal’s tenure be extended. The suspension now leaves that recommendation in doubt.
Instead of preparing for a possible extension, Dahal is facing a departmental investigation that could potentially end with serious disciplinary action.
Why was he suspended before the investigation?
The decision to suspend an AIG before completing the investigation is itself significant. Under the APF Rules, suspension can be used when there is a risk that allowing an officer to remain in office could affect the investigation, allow evidence to be destroyed or manipulated, cause financial loss to the government, affect organisational morale or damage the reputation of the force.
Rule 90 also prohibits APF personnel from disclosing confidential information obtained in the course of their official duties to unauthorised individuals or the media without government approval.
Depending on the findings, violations of these provisions can result in removal or dismissal from service.
The Home Ministry has assigned AIG Anjanikumar Pokharel, who works at APF headquarters’ Human Resources Department, to investigate the allegations. He has been given three days to submit his report.
A rare move against a serving AIG
Former APF AIG Narayan Babu Thapa said he could not recall a previous case in which an AIG had been suspended specifically over allegations of leaking confidential information.
“This is a completely new development,” Thapa said, adding that while internal investigations and disciplinary actions are routine, the allegation of leaking confidential information makes the case unusual.
The decision by the Home Ministry to publicly announce the suspension has also attracted attention. A former APF inspector general said the public statement could be understood as a warning that access to sensitive state information comes with responsibility. Home Minister Sudan Gurung has made that message explicit.
“Sensitive state information is not anyone’s private property; it is a public responsibility,” Gurung said. “A position gives access to information, but it does not give anyone the right to misuse it.”
He said anyone who deliberately breaches the confidentiality entrusted to them by the state would face legal action.
For now, the central question remains unanswered: what exactly did AIG Dahal allegedly disclose, and to whom?
The three-day investigation is expected to provide the first official answers.
