Nepal army chief to be questioned

By Bhagirath Yogi
BBC News, Kathmandu

Gen Thapa will be questioned over alleged excesses by security forces

Nepal's army chief is to be questioned by a high-level panel over his role in alleged excesses by the security forces during April's pro-democracy protests.

General Pyar Jung Thapa will be questioned by the panel on Sunday.

The panel was formed after street demonstrations forced King Gyanendra to end his year-long direct rule in April.

Twenty-one people died and hundreds were wounded when security forces fired at protesters and used batons and tear gas to disperse them.

Next week, the panel will question two senior army officers, including a retired major general, in connection with the alleged excesses.

Lt General Rukmangad Katuwal is the army's second senior officer, and retired general Dipak Bikram Rana was in charge of Kathmandu valley at the time of the protests.

The Royal Nepalese Army, now known as the Nepali Army, led the unified command of security agencies that was deployed to maintain law and order during the protests.

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the street across the country to press for the restoration of democracy during the three weeks of protests.

A multi-party government has been in place since then.