In Brief
- Nepal's former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak have been arrested over last year's gen Z protests.
- Police are investigating whether Oli was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths.
Nepal's former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak have been arrested over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protestors in September.
Police are investigating whether Oli was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during the gen Z protests, which began over a brief social media ban, but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship.
This follows findings released this week by a Nepali panel that investigated violence during the anti-corruption protests. They recommended that Oli, 74, be prosecuted for failing to prevent the crackdown on the protests.
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".
A total of 76 people were killed in two days of unrest, which led to Oli resigning. Several government buildings, from the supreme court to ministers' homes, including Oli's private residence, were set ablaze in the protests, with the unrest subsiding only after his forced resignation.
Police spokesman Om Adhikari said both Oli and Lekhak were being detained at the Kathmandu Police Office and would be produced before the court on Sunday, a working day in Nepal.
"We have arrested them as per the recommendations made by the investigation commission," he said.
Oli, 74 and who has had two kidney transplants in the past, was subsequently transferred to a hospital from the police office, witnesses said.
His lawyer Tikaram Bhattarai said the arrest was unwarranted.
"They have said [the arrest] is for investigation. It is illegal and improper because there is no risk of him fleeing or avoiding questioning," he said.
Lekhak and his lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment.
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 Oli's government.
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