# Sarbendra Khanal

Sarbendra Khanal (Nepali: सर्वेन्द्र खनाल) was the 26th Chief of Nepal Police. He was appointed as the Chief of Nepal Police after succeeding Prakash Aryal on 10 April 2018 by the cabinet decision of the Government of Nepal. He was former spokesperson of Nepal Police.

## Early life and career

Born on April 25, 1966, in Tanahu, IGP Mr. Khanal graduated with bachelor's degree in Management and master's degree in Public Administration from Tribhuvan University.

## Policing career

As SSP of Nepal Police, Sarbendra Khanal led the encounter of gangster Kumar Ghainte and solved a match-fixing case involving Nepal’s national football team, finding four players guilty. He was later honored by the AFC for his role in the investigation. Khanal also solved the death of taxi driver Raj Kumar Lama and was praised for crime control in Kathmandu. He was promoted to DIG, ranking highest based on work evaluation. Acknowledging the investigation of match-fixing case as a milestone, he was honored by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) amidst a special function organized in Malaysia in 2017.

## Inspector General of Police

Sarbendra Khanal was appointed the 26th Inspector General of Nepal Police on April 10, 2018, and assumed office two days later. He also served as the Ex-Officio Head of the National Central Bureau, INTERPOL, in Kathmandu.
Khanal completed various police courses in Nepal and internationally, including VIP security and law enforcement programs in the U.S. and Italy. He was involved in two UN peacekeeping missions in Yugoslavia and Haiti and participated in an investigation into the trafficking of Nepali women in 2016.
Khanal has received several national and international awards for his service, including the Gorkha Dakchhin Bahu and UN Medal. He emphasized rule of law, human rights protection, and a zero-tolerance approach to corruption during his career.

## Political career

Khanal joined CPN (Unified Marxist–Leninist) ahead the 2022 elections and was a candidate for the House of Representatives for Kathmandu 6 from the party.

## Criticism
### Abduction Complaint

The District Government Attorney Office in Kathmandu has formally registered an abduction complaint against former Nepal Police IGP Sarbendra Khanal and CPN lawmakers Mahesh Basnet and Kisan Shrestha . The complaint, filed by Socialist Party Nepal lawmaker Surendra Yadav, accuses the trio of forcibly bringing Yadav to Kathmandu from Mahottari on April 22, with the alleged intention of splitting the Socialist Party. Yadav claims he was kept at the Kathmandu Marriott Hotel but managed to escape, thwarting a plan, reportedly backed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, to engineer a political split. Khanal and Basnet deny the accusation, asserting that Yadav traveled willingly.

## Personal life

Mr. Khanal has been married to his wife, Pramila Khanal, and they have two daughters, Shreyashi Khanal and Yashaswi Khanal.

## Electoral history
### 2022 Tanahun-1 by election

| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Swarnim Wagle | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 34,919 | 54.45 |
| | Gobinda Bhattarai | Nepali Congress | 20,122 | 31.37 |
| | Sarbendra Khanal | CPN (UML) | 8,488 | 13.23 |
| | Others | Others | 606 | 0.94 |
| Total | Total | Total | 64,135 | 100.00 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,797 | |
| | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain |
| Source: https://result.election.gov.np/ElectionResultCentral2079bi.aspx |||||

### 2022 general election

(Kathmandu 6)
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Shishir Khanal | Rastriya Swatantra Party | 14,221 | 38.01 |
| | Sarbendra Khanal | CPN (UML) | 8,917 | 23.84 |
| | Bhimsen Das Pradhan | Nepali Congress | 8,812 | 23.55 |
| | Bishnu Prasad Acharya | Rastriya Prajatantra Party | 2,185 | 5.84 |
| | Others | | 3,276 | 8.76 |
| Total | Total | Total | 37,411 | 100.00 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,304 | |
| | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain | Rastriya Swatantra Party gain |
| Source: |||||