Former Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli arrested in connection with anti-corruption protests
KATHMANDU – Former Nepal prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was arrested on Saturday following an investigation into his alleged negligence during Gen Z anti-corruption protests last September, which resulted in 76 deaths.
His home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, was also apprehended one day after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister. The arrest recommendation came from a Nepali panel investigating violence during the protests.
The arrests were made at the Kathmandu Police Office and both Oli and Lekhak will be produced before the court on Sunday, according to police spokesman Om Adhikari.
Oli’s lawyer Tikaram Bhattarai claimed the arrest was unlawful and improper, stating that there is no risk of the former prime minister fleeing or avoiding questioning.
The panel held Oli responsible for not taking action to stop hours of firing that killed at least 19 Gen Z protesters on the first day of the demonstrations. The anger over these deaths helped propel Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party to a landslide election this month.