Nepal’s former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was arrested on Saturday in connection with last year’s violent crackdown on Gen Z protests, a day after the newly formed government led by Balendra Shah moved to implement the findings of a probe commission.
Oli, who also serves as the chairman of the CPN-UML, was taken into custody early Saturday morning from the Gundu area in Bhaktapur district, about 12 km east of Kathmandu, police confirmed.
Former Home Minister and Nepali Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak was also arrested from his residence in Katunje, Suryabinayak Municipality, in the same district.
Both leaders face charges related to their alleged role in suppressing the Gen Z protests held on September 8 and 9 last year, during which 76 people, including several youths, were killed. The probe commission that investigated the incident recommended criminal action against Oli, Lekhak, and others.
Acting swiftly, the Balendra Shah-led government approved the commission’s recommendations during its first cabinet meeting on Friday, paving the way for the arrests.
Home Minister Sudhan Gurung defended the move, stating that the action was part of a legal process and not driven by political vendetta. “Nobody is above the law. This is not revenge, but the beginning of justice,” he said in a social media post, adding that the country would now move in a new direction.
Police said both Oli and Lekhak have been lodged at the Kathmandu District Police Circle in Bhadrakali. They are expected to be produced before the Kathmandu District Court on Sunday, following which formal investigation proceedings will begin.
A senior police official indicated that the probe commission has recommended a prison term ranging from three to ten years if the आरोप are proven.
Shortly after his detention, Oli was taken to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital for a routine medical examination, officials said, describing the arrest as part of due legal procedure.
Meanwhile, the CPN-UML has convened an emergency meeting of its secretariat at its central office in Lalitpur to deliberate on the unfolding developments.
