Daijiworld Media Network – Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Mar 28: Former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested on Saturday over his alleged role in last year’s deadly anti-corruption Gen Z protests, just a day after Balendra Shah took oath as the new Prime Minister. The arrest took place at Oli’s residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur, where Nepal police also detained his former Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak.

“They were arrested this morning, and the process will move forward according to the law,” said Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari, as quoted by AFP.

Shortly after the arrests, newly-appointed Minister of Home Affairs Sudan Gurung asserted, “A promise is a promise. No one is above the law. This is not revenge; it is the beginning of justice. I believe now the country will take a new direction.”

Oli, however, described his arrest as “vindictive” and vowed to fight the charges legally.

The protests, which erupted on September 8-9 last year over a brief social media ban, quickly escalated into a nationwide anti-corruption movement, claiming over 70 lives, including at least 19 young people. Public anger stemmed from widespread economic hardship and discontent with government policies, ultimately leading to the collapse of the Oli government.

Following the recent parliamentary elections, Balendra Shah’s government implemented the recommendations of a high-level commission probing the unrest. The commission’s report cited negligence by Oli, Lekhak, and other officials, leading to deaths during the protests, although it found “no established order to shoot.” The panel recommended a maximum of 10 years imprisonment for those responsible, including Oli and Lekhak, and also suggested actions against other senior officials, including former Inspector General of Nepal Police Chandra Kuber Khapung.

Nepal’s first female Chief Justice, Sushila Karki, had earlier served as interim head of the government following the protests, a tenure widely viewed as stabilising for the nation’s fragile democracy.