It is sometimes said that peace depends on the ratio of coercive power held by the government compared to those who might be tempted to challenge it in a civil war. Secure peace is always armed, with its use strictly regulated by law and overseen by a strong 'civil society'.
A Maoist insurgency has been raging in about one-third of the country's administrative districts for over five years now. Nearly 1500 Nepali lives have already been lost. The necessity of using effectively the coercive power of the state, in addition to negotiations and other constructive engagements, is being acutely felt. Normal 'policing' —some of it indiscriminate — has not succeeded in controlling organized assaults by a motivated and armed group adopting the techniques of guerrilla warfare, and that too in a rugged terrain amidst a population plagued by acute poverty
In the hill regions affected by insurgency, fear reigns supreme. Caught between a rock and a hard place — demanding Maoists and vindictive policemen — the people have started to lose faith in the government administration, which has been effectively confined to the district headquarters in more than one place. In certain pockets, there are what can only be called Maoist administrations in place. Clearly, the Nepali Congress government needs to resort to something drastic, and quite quickly too, if it is to retain credibility and live up to the promises it made to the larger populace in the general elections of a year ago.
The coercive power at the command of the Kathmandu government is of two types: the Nepal Police, the force which has ´handled´ the Maoists for the past five years; and the Royal Nepal Army, which has remained firmly in the barracks till now. Nepal has nothing in between in the form of a paramilitary force.
During the Rana oligarchy which lasted till 1950, it was the army that oversaw law and order, with civil administrative officials routinely holding military position. The Nepal Police was raised only after the Ranas were overthrown, with leaders who had faced the fire of the soldiers during the first struggle for democracy committed to separating law-and-order and national security functions.