KATHMANDU: CPN (UML) Chair KP Sharma Oli has said he learned about the shooting on September 8 only after the death of the student and youth protesters.

Presenting his political report at the party’s Central Committee meeting, Oli argued that the prime minister has no legal authority to order police to open fire.

“The order to fire can only be given by a legally authorized institution or official, and the prime minister is not such an authority,” the report states. “The prime minister became aware of the September 8 shooting incident only after it had already occurred.”

Oli’s report raises several questions about the incident. He asked why such a large-scale use of bullets was carried out without adopting any alternative crowd-control measures during the protests.

“Why was such heavy firing done without exploring other measures? Why were around two dozen young people killed simultaneously? Why were hundreds injured? Was the destruction on September 9 premeditated? We must analyze the interconnection between the events of September 8 and 9,” Oli wrote.

He further noted that the Cabinet meeting held after the incident had expressed sorrow over the tragedy and decided to provide free medical treatment for the injured and compensation and relief to the victims’ families.

“The government decided to form an investigation commission led by a former judge to probe the incident and to take legal action against those found guilty,” the report adds.

Oli condemned what he described as a “deliberate and baseless campaign” against the then prime minister, saying the UML strongly refutes and rejects such criminal propaganda despite the government’s official actions and commitments.