Khadgajeet Baral () (April 17, 1928 – May 19, 2021) was a Nepalese police officer, diplomat, sports promoter and social worker, who is primarily known for his contributions in modernizing Nepal Police as its 9th Inspector General of Police.
After participating in the 1950 revolution under the Mukti Sena that would lead to the collapse of the 104-year-old Rana rule, Baral enlisted in Nepal Police as an inspector in 1956, gradually ascending to the highest position, Inspector General of Nepal Police (IGP) in 1972.
The first chief to have entered Nepal Police by open competition of Nepal’s Public Service Commission, Baral was also the first post-graduate police officer to attain the position of chief of Nepal Police.
Known as the longest serving chief of Nepal Police, serving for a six-year tenure (1972–78) alongside his predecessor late Rom Bahadur Thapa (1966–72), Baral was one of the youngest persons to be appointed as Nepal Police’s chief at the age of 44 years post Police Act’s (1955) enactment.
After retiring from police service in 1978, Baral served as the residential ambassador of Nepal to the then Burma (present Myanmar) from 1980 to 1985. At the same time, he also served as the non-residential (accredited) Ambassador of Nepal to Malaysia, Indonesia, and the French Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia) and later as a Member of Nepal’s unicameral parliament. Baral also later served as a chief liaison officer and international polling supervision officer of the UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia) from 1992-1993.
Acclaimed as the pioneer that formed the foundations for the modern Nepal Police organization by both former and incumbent members of the organization, he is also regarded as the organization’s guardian. It was in his tenure as police chief that basic necessities such as provisions of free rations, independent buildings and free uniforms were made accessible to all personnel of Nepal Police.
Other significant reforms in his tenure as the police chief include the establishment and construction of border security police posts (Sima Prahari Chauki) and security police district offices (also for border security) along the Nepal-India border for the first time.
Additionally, Nepal’s police officers received training in India’s Border Security Force (BSF) during Baral’s IGP tenure. It was the first time that Nepal Police’s personnel had received border-security related training.
In his tenure as police chief, Nepal Police implemented numerous other innovations such as the establishments of: · Engineering section (1974), · Dog section (1975), · Police flying squad (1975), · Nepal Police Mountaineering and Adventure Foundation (NPMAF) (1976) and · Mounted police (1977), etc.
‘Nepal ko Kutnitik Abhyas: Rajdutharuko Anubhaw’ (Nepal’s Diplomatic Practice: Experiences of Ambassador), published by the Institute of Foreign Affairs (IFA) under Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, includes Baral's memoir during his tenure as Ambassador to Myanmar. It details the introduction of many reforms, such as- · Provisions of citizenships NRCs (National Registration Certificates) to thousands of Nepalis residing in Myanmar, · Construction of Pashupatinath Temple in Mamyo (present Pwin Oo Lwyin) · Construction of Maha Wijaya Zedi Pagoda in Rangoon (present Yangon), · Commencing the tradition of celebrating Bhanu Jayanti (Pioneer Poet Bhanu Bhakta Acharya’s birthday) in Myanmar, · Publication of Nepali magazine ‘Irrawaddy’, a tri-monthly and the first Nepali publication in Myanmar.
Upon Baral’s passing on May 19, 2021, Nepal Police Headquarters publicly stated that for his incomparable contributions to the Nepal Police’s growth and development, he was established as the organization’s Yug Purush (Man of the Era) and expressed sorrow over the loss of its guardian.
Early Life and activism (1928-1956) Khadgajeet Baral was born to captain Bahadur Singh Baral and Saraswati Baral in then Palpa (present Nawalpur) district, Nepal on April 17, 1928.
Prior to his police career, he was an active member of the Mukti Sena, an armed resistance group formed by Nepali Congress to overthrow the autocratic Rana regime. Baral, along with around 150 men led by guerilla combatant Khadga Bahadur Gurung, unsuccessfully invaded the office of Bhairahawa’s Bada Hakim.
Following the tripartite Delhi agreement of 1951, he and other freedom fighters of the Bhairahawa Morcha opposed the terms of appointing Mohan SJB Rana as Nepal’s prime minister. As a result, they were ambushed and briefly held captive by the Indian Army. Later, they were imprisoned for three months by the then government of Nepal.
Baral later obtained a bachelor’s degree (BA) from Agra University in 1952 and a master’s degree (MA) in political science in 1955 from another Indian university.
Early career in Nepal Police (1956-1972) In 1956, Baral joined the Nepal Police in 1956 as part of the first batch of academically qualified (candidates with a bachelor’s degree) inspectors selected through open competition of Nepal’s Public Service Commission. Additionally, he was also the first person with a graduate degree (master’s degree) to enlist in the force.
As a police officer, Baral was looked upon with apprehension by many officials since the day of his entry into service. This was because at the time, Nepali policemen were mostly uneducated and seldom held a degree. So, at the time, the Nepali society was of the view that there was no place for highly educated men in their police force.
Baral briefly served as the security officer to the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, when Nehru visited Nepal from 11–14 June 1959.
As a SP, Baral served as the commandant of the Central Police Training Center (present National Police Academy) in Maharajgunj from 1965 to 1968. He was a hands-on instructor, teaching subjects such as international police organization (Interpol), general knowledge, narcotics control, anti-counterfeiting currency, and anti-hijacking measures.
A key innovation during his time as commandant was the introduction of unarmed combat training (martial arts) into the police curriculum for self-defense in 1967. Under this, trainees were taught how to defend themselves and how to counter-attack and neutralize their assailants.
Circa 1971, whilst serving as the head of the central region DIG office in Kathmandu, his office introduced ‘head-constable training’, which included improved methods of patrolling, surveillance of bailees and collection of intel. Additionally, the public was also invited to learn regarding protection methods against fires and criminals.
Tenure as Inspector General of Nepal Police (IGP) (1972-1978) In 1972, after serving in Nepal Police for nearly 16 years, Baral was appointed as the Inspector General of Nepal Police (IGP) at the age of 44, making him one of the youngest police chiefs since the enactment of the 1955 Police Act (2012).
He was also the first chief to have joined the organization by the Public Service Commission’s open competition as well as the ‘first post-graduate police officer’ to ascend to the position.
The average tenure of Nepal Police’s chief (IGP) is four years. Baral and his predecessor, late Rom Bahadur Thapa, are the only ones to have served as chiefs for a period of six years, having had two years extended at the end of their four-year tenures.
His first act as the police chief was introducing the culture of organizing formal events to welcome and to bid farewell to the incoming and outgoing police chiefs, respectively.
In Baral's tenure in 1973, Nepal Police changed the minimum educational requirement to openly compete for the position of ASI (Assistant Sub-Inspector) from matriculation (grade 10) to intermediate level (grade 12).
Professionalization through specialized training Baral initiated a comprehensive strategy to enhance the skills of police personnel by sending them to prestigious international institutions:
· Narcotics control: In 1972, Baral nominated Nepal police’s then acting DSP (later DIG) late Rudra Bdr. Pandey, to receive specialized training for the first time at the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), the predecessor to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the US
· Forensics and investigation: Under Baral’s nomination, Nepal Police’s officers like future SP duo Hari Bdr. Thapa and Kamal Khadka along with two others were sent to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Calcutta, India, to be trained in fingerprint and handwriting analysis circa 1976. Additionally, under Baral's leadership, police personnel were sent to the UK for specialized courses in forensics (fingerprinting, ballistics), counterintelligence, photography and communications.
· Technical skills: Baral arranged for training in wireless communications in India to improve the existing effective internal information network (the ‘Aakash wani’ branch) and brought in a Japanese instructor to streamline the motor transport management branch.
Personnel Welfare and Infrastructure (Food, shelter and clothing) Baral's leadership addressed the core needs of police personnel, often summarized as food, shelter, and clothing.
Food: On 31 August 1973, the provision of free government rations was made possible for all police personnel after scuffling with the then government for more than a year.
Shelter: In 1974, an ‘engineering section’ (now the Directorate of Physical Infrastructure) was established in Nepal Police, and the position of a DSP was created to serve as the section’s in-charge. Similarly, positions for a few over-shares were also created. Senior engineer Bharat Raj Sharma was appointed as Nepal Police’s first engineer and head of its engineering section to oversee the systematic development of police infrastructure.
Prior to Baral’s appointment as police chief, police personnel were compelled to work in dilapidated pati-pauwa like buildings and inhabit commoners’ houses as tenants. As such, Nepali citizens felt reluctant in visiting police offices. Then IGP Baral conceived construction of standardized police buildings in the traditional single-gajur pagoda style with the objective of making Nepal Police people-friendly and making the buildings ‘aesthetically attractive’ and ‘psychologically acceptable’ to the then ‘highly pious’ Nepali public.
Under Baral’s directive and the engineering section’s design, Nepal Police launched a nationwide campaign of constructing outposts, barracks and other police buildings. This initiative, at a time of limited government funding and state resources, was often funded with local community support, in the form of cash and land, aimed to create more accessible and respectable public spaces. Consequently, the Nepali commoners began to view newly constructed police buildings in the form of ‘justice temples'.
Subsequently, police morale was boosted, aiding to serve the community in a more efficient capacity. The single gajur pagoda architecture was later emulated by other government offices.
Clothing: In the past, police personnel had to manage their uniform costs on their own personal expenses. In Baral’s tenure in 1976, for the first time, the government began allocating a budget for providing free, standardized uniforms for all police personnel.
Legal and Institutional Reforms Baral envisioned and contributed to the legislations and enactments of: The Immigration Act to strengthen the security system in context to Nepal’s immigration, the Evidence Act (1974) to modernize crime investigation and the Narcotics Drug (Control) Act (1976) to systematize prosecutions in relation to narcotics crimes.