56 Facts About Rookmangud Katawal

General Rookmangud Katawal is a former Nepalese Army general, who served as the Chief of Army Staff of the Nepal Army from 2006 to 2009.

General Katawal has come across controversy after the then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal unilaterally decided to sack him on May 3,2009.

Rookmangud Katawal is considered as a close ally of Gyanendra and had a substantial role in suppressing and destroying evidences during royal massacre.

Rookmangud Katawal was born in Okhaldhunga District, Nepal on 12 December 1948, to Khadgadhoj Katawal and his wife.

Later, Rookmangud Katawal was enrolled in another school with the help of the same teacher who had expelled Rookmangud Katawal from Pharping in which he completed his high school.

Rookmangud Katawal was commissioned into Shree Shreenath Battalion of the then Royal Nepalese Army on 20 December 1969, after graduating from the Indian National Defense Academy.

Rookmangud Katawal holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tribhuwan University, and a master's degree in National Defence from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Pakistan.

Rookmangud Katawal is the Distinguished International Honour Graduate of the US Special Forces Course and has earned the coveted Gideon in the US Ranger Course.

Rookmangud Katawal is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College, Camberley, UK; the Senior Command Course, India; and the National Defense College, Pakistan.

Between 1976 and 1977, Rookmangud Katawal commanded the Independent Company- Shree Kalidhoj- which is currently a battalion.

Rookmangud Katawal holds the distinction of having commanded three consecutive Brigades, two infantry and one Special Forces.

Rookmangud Katawal then took over as Adjutant General of the Nepalese Army.

On December 29,2001, General Rookmangud Katawal was appointed the first co-coordinator of the National Security Council Secretariat.

Rookmangud Katawal has participated in various conferences and seminars around the globe concerning security, peacekeeping and planning fields, such as Multilateral Planner's conference in Romania and the International Symposium Course on Asian Pacific Security in China.

Rookmangud Katawal commanded the then Western Division on combat operation in the peak of the counter insurgency effort between December 2003 and August 2004.

Rookmangud Katawal was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on 10 September 2004, and took over as Chief of General Staff.

Rookmangud Katawal is 'Colonel Commandant' of his old battalion: Shree Pashupati Prashad.

Rookmangud Katawal indicated that, with the King's support, the government would likely re-declare the Maoists a terrorist group, resurrect the suspended anti-terrorist act, and request Interpol blue-corner notices for Maoist leaders.

Rookmangud Katawal said, although the ministers had discussed the possibility of nationwide state of emergency, they were not likely to declare it.

Rookmangud Katawal sought support from the international community for the government's efforts to combat the insurgency.

Major General Rookmangud Katawal had been appointed as the commander to lead the Unified Armed Forces of Nepal during Mission Kotwada by tricking the then Chief of Army Staff Pyar Jung Thapa and the then King of Nepal Gyanendra Shah.

Rookmangud Katawal reiterated that there was no purely military solution to the insurgency; the army could only create space for political negotiations.

Rookmangud Katawal noted that the civilian government should lead the effort to inform its citizens about Nepal's overall plan to tackle the insurgency.

Rookmangud Katawal stressed that a civilian government had to explain to the people what the military was doing, especially why the government needed to restrict civil liberties.

Rookmangud Katawal noted that the government had confirmed evidence that the Maoists intended to infiltrate the Parties' demonstration; the Maoists had already brought automatic weapons into the Kathmandu Valley, and had attacked police stations in the valley.

Rookmangud Katawal pointed out that, during their rule, the Parties had placed restrictions on citizens for security reasons but now were unwilling to accept those restrictions.

Rookmangud Katawal asserted that the Maoists skillfully exploited the lack of government vision by using the political parties themselves to create tension among the legitimate democratic forces.

Rookmangud Katawal admitted that the Maoists' strategy had been "successful to an extent," but added that the political parties should learn from their mistake of aligning with the Maoists through the 12-point understanding.

Rookmangud Katawal noted the irony of the Parties linking with the Maoists: it was the Parties themselves who first labeled the Maoists as "terrorists" when the Parties were in power.

Rookmangud Katawal believed the Parties and the Maoists had reached an agreement to pressure the King and the army.

Rookmangud Katawal added that Nepal's monarchy and political parties have, over the past ten years, viewed the Maoist insurgency primarily as a chip to be played in their political games; at various times, each of the major Parties and the King have used the Maoists to advance their own interests vis-a-vis the other legitimate political actors.

Rookmangud Katawal had appeared on several occasions before the State Affairs Committee, the parliamentary committee tasked with oversight of the Defense Ministry.

INSEC listed 64 individual gross violations of human rights that Nepali security forces committed in the mid-Western region from December 29,2003, to September 10,2004, while Rookmangud Katawal was the regional divisional commander.

Rookmangud Katawal faced unspecified charges of violating human rights for attempting to suppress the people's movement in April 2006.

Rookmangud Katawal feared reprisals against his office once the Maoists were part of an interim government.

Rookmangud Katawal threatened that if the political parties or Maoists were to "touch" him, elements within the Nepal army would revolt, referring to what would happen if the Maoists attempted extra-constitutional action against him.

Rookmangud Katawal had instructed the then major general Dharmala to tell King Gyanendra to make amends with the prime minister and to acknowledge that there was no chance of a political comeback.

Rookmangud Katawal claimed that, through Dharmala, he had told the King that if he was interested in retaining the monarchy, he should abdicate in favor of his grandson.

Rookmangud Katawal had Dharmala tell the King that Indian actors who were telling King Gyanendra the Government of India wanted to see a "royal comeback" were blowing smoke; the Indian government was content leaving the future of the monarchy to the Nepali people.

Rookmangud Katawal had warned Koirala, "Don't toss away the Army or you will have nothing to fall back on" if the Maoists try to seize power.

Rookmangud Katawal pointed out that the NA remained a regular, disciplined, and professional army; integrating Maoist combatants, whom he described as "thugs, criminals and terrorists", into the Nepal Army would destroy the Army.

Rookmangud Katawal claimed it would lead the United Nations to stop deploying Nepali soldiers as peacekeepers.

Rookmangud Katawal had opted for an alternative method to provide lethal military assistance to the Nepal Army; that Nepali peacekeepers could go to their postings in Haiti or other places without weapons.

Rookmangud Katawal noted that this solution would avoid upsetting the Maoists and would allow lethal support to arrive without the political complications involved.

General Rookmangud Katawal had been fiercely resisting group integration of Maoist rebels into the Nepal Army and has been at odds with Maoist government on several other issues.

Rookmangud Katawal is involved in the development of a high school in his home village in Okhaldhunga District.

Rookmangud Katawal has penned many Nepalese folk, patriotic and popular song.

Rookmangud Katawal is decorated with Birendra Prajatantra Bhaskar, Second Class and has been awarded a host of other decorations and medals in his 40 years of service.

Rookmangud Katawal is married to Uma Rookmangud Katawal, a career graduate teacher who has taught at the Army Campus for 20 years.

Rookmangud Katawal has travelled widely, attending conferences and talk programs both inside and outside the country.

Rookmangud Katawal enjoys interacting, discussing and debating with people about current and past issues related to society.

Rookmangud Katawal has traveled to different states of the US and Canada to interact with the Nepalese communities.

Rookmangud Katawal has interacted in Johns Hopkins's university and Harvard with such communities.

Rookmangud Katawal has attended international conference in Hiroshima university and a seminar in Seoul.

Rookmangud Katawal has visited India many times accepting invitations of Vivekananda International foundation, India foundation etc.

Rookmangud Katawal went to Tel-Aviv to participate in the world summit for counter-terrorism.