Nepal's former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested for their alleged role in a deadly crackdown on protestors in September. The arrests follow the election of a new government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
Nepal's former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested Saturday morning over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protestors in September, police said.
The detentions come a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet were sworn in after the first elections since the 2025 uprising that toppled 74-year-old Oli's government.
"They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law," Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari told AFP.
At least 77 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising on September 8 and 9, which began over a brief social media ban, but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship.
At least 19 young people were killed in a crackdown on the first day of protests.
The unrest spread nationwide the following day as parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the government's collapse.
During the caretaker administration a government-backed commission into the deadly uprising recommended the prosecution of Oli and other officials.
The report said that it was "not established that there was an order to shoot", but said that "no effort was made to stop or control the firing and, due to their negligent conduct, even minors lost their lives".
Oli has previously denied ordering security forces to open fire on protesters. He told AFP during his failed bid for re-election in the March 5 poll that he blames "infiltrators" for the violence.
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'Beginning of justice'
Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, and his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections this month on a platform of youth-driven political change.
Shah challenged and defeated Marxist leader Oli, in the four-time ex prime minister's own constituency.
Shah's first cabinet meeting on Friday evening decided to implement the recommendations made by the probe commission.
The commission's report said victims in 48 out of 63 completed autopsies died of bullet wounds, and that the majority were struck in their chest or head.
More than 200 people were questioned, including Oli, and a 900-page report with an additional 8,000 pages of evidence was submitted.
"No one is above the law... This is not revenge against anyone, just the beginning of justice. I believe, now the country will take a new direction," newly appointed Home Minister Sudan Gurung, who was a key figure in the protests, posted on Instagram.
On Saturday, Nepali newsite Onlinekhabar.com said he had denied any role in the violence.
"This arrest is vindictive, I will fight a legal battle for it, prepare yourselves," Oli told his lawyers, the site reported.
Oli's political career stretches nearly six decades, a period that saw a decade-long civil war and Nepal's 2008 abolition of its monarchy.
Also Read: Nepal Gen-Z Protest Report Leaked; PM Karki to Publish Findings
As Prime Minister, Oli became a lightning rod for protester fury. He resigned on September 9, 2025, as mobs torched his house, parliament and government offices.
In his resignation letter, Oli said he hoped stepping down would help "move towards a political solution and the resolution of the problems".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed)
