Nepal’s ex-PM KP Sharma Oli arrested for alleged role in a crackdown that killed 76, sparking protests as new government pursues justice.
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters last September.
The detentions follow a government-backed inquiry commission’s recommendation for prosecution after at least 76 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising.
“They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law,” Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari said.
Oli was arrested by police in the capital in the early hours and was later admitted to hospital on doctor’s advice for heart and kidney issues.
The inquiry commission found that at least 20 young people were killed on the first day of protests, which began over a social media ban and tapped into fury over economic hardship.
The unrest spread nationwide the following day as parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the collapse of Oli’s government.
Its report stated it was “not established that there was an order to shoot”, but added that “no effort was made to stop or control the firing”.
Oli has consistently denied ordering security forces to open fire on protesters.
He previously blamed “infiltrators” for the violence during his failed bid for re-election in a March poll.
The commission’s report said victims in 48 out of 63 completed autopsies died of bullet wounds, most struck in the chest or head.
More than 200 people were questioned, and a 900-page report with an additional 8,000 pages of evidence was submitted.
Oli’s CPN-UML Marxist party called for a “nationwide protest”, with senior leader Mahesh Basnet calling the arrest a “revengeful act”.
Protests broke out in several parts of the capital with demonstrators burning tyres and demanding Oli’s release.
Police fired tear gas as they clashed with protestors in the capital’s Baneshwor area, though officials said the situation was under control.
The arrests came a day after new Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet were sworn in following the first elections since the 2025 uprising.
Shah’s first cabinet meeting decided to implement the recommendations made by the investigation commission.
New Home Minister Sudan Gurung, a key figure in the protests, stated on Instagram that “no one is above the law”.
“This is not revenge against anyone, just the beginning of justice,” Gurung posted.
Among those whose relatives were killed or wounded in the September violence, there was support for the judicial process.
“Whoever was involved during the September 8 and 9 killings should be punished,” said Bhavani Timilsina, whose son is recovering from bullet wounds.
The Sun Malaysia
