Kathmandu, Nov 4 (PTI) The Nepal government on Wednesday appointed Additional Inspector General Manoj Kumar KC as the new police chief, replacing Dan Bahadur Karki, who has been made security adviser to Prime Minister Balendra Shah.

     A Cabinet meeting chaired by Shah decided to appoint KC as the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), government spokesperson Sasmit Pokharel told reporters after the meeting.

     KC replaces Karki, who has been appointed as security adviser to the prime minister, he said.

     Pokharel dismissed reports that Karki's transfer was a disciplinary action, saying it was merely a change in responsibilities.

     "He should not be viewed as having been punished. It is merely a change in responsibilities," Pokharel said.

     Karki has been embroiled in controversy following media reports linking him to Inam Sapkota, described as a power broker, who is currently in police custody in connection with investigations into alleged indecent behaviour and money laundering.

     Last week, Nepal Police raided several media houses and briefly detained three journalists after reports emerged that Prime Minister Shah was considering removing Karki from the post of IGP.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
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