Former Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli arrested over 2025 Gen Z protest deaths
Guwahati: KP Sharma Oli, the former Prime Minister of Nepal, was detained by police in connection with last year’s fatal Gen Z protests. This occurred just one day after Balendra Shah assumed the role of prime minister. The arrest took place at Oli’s residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur.
Ramesh Lekhak, who served as Home Minister under Oli, was also taken into custody.
According to Kathmandu Valley police spokesperson Om Adhikari, the arrests were confirmed and legal proceedings will now follow.
Soon after, the new Home Minister, Sudan Gurung, asserted that legal accountability applies to everyone, saying that no individual is exempt from the law.
Gurung added on X that bringing Oli and Lekhak into custody is not an act of vengeance but a step toward justice. He expressed hope that the country could now follow a new path.
Oli, on the other hand, described the move as retaliatory and promised to defend himself through the courts.
The protests in September last year resulted in more than 70 deaths, including 19 young participants. What began as a reaction to a temporary social media restriction quickly escalated into nationwide unrest fueled by widespread frustration over economic difficulties. Public buildings, including parliament offices, were damaged, and the Oli government ultimately fell.
Following the collapse, Nepal’s first female chief justice, Sushila Karki, temporarily took charge of the interim government after coming out of retirement. Her short tenure is regarded as a stabilizing phase in Nepal’s political scene.
After Balendra Shah won the parliamentary elections, the new government formed a committee to examine the events of the anti-corruption protests.
In its first Cabinet meeting, Shah’s administration decided to act on the panel’s recommendations, which proposed up to ten years of imprisonment for high-ranking officials, including Oli and Lekhak, for failing to prevent the violence.
The commission’s report noted that no direct order to shoot had been confirmed but criticized officials for not taking action to prevent the deaths, including those of minors.
The investigation also suggested disciplinary measures against other senior officials at the time, including the then Inspector General of Police, Chandra Kuber Khapung.