Nepal police arrest former prime minister and another ex-official over protest deaths

KATHMANDU, Nepal —

Former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli was arrested by police in Nepal early Saturday in connection with the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September that led to the government’s downfall and new elections.

Authorities apprehended the influential communist leader at his residence on the outskirts of Kathmandu, along with Ramesh Lekhak, the former home minister who is accused of ordering security forces to open fire on protesters.

Home Minister Sudan Gurung confirmed the arrests on social media, stating, “No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak under control. This is not revenge, but the beginning of justice.”

An official government commission recommended up to 10 years in jail for Oli, Lekhak, and the former police chief at the time of the protests.

A large contingent of police officers in riot gear conducted the arrests at the defendants’ residences before transporting them to the Kathmandu District Police office.

The arrests occurred shortly after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah assumed office as the new Prime Minister following a decisive victory in the recent parliamentary elections with his Rastriya Swatantra Party.

Shah and Gurung have pledged to deliver justice for the victims of the protests.

The elections marked Nepal’s first since the youth-led protests on Sept. 8 and 9 against corruption and governance failures, which resulted in 76 fatalities and over 2,300 injuries. The unrest led to the burning of government buildings, police stations, and the residences of top politicians who had to escape via military helicopters.

The demonstrations, spearheaded by “Gen Z” activists, culminated in the appointment of Nepal’s first female Prime Minister, Sushila Karki, a former Supreme Court judge who oversaw the transitional period leading up to the elections.