Former Nepalese Prime Minister Oli Detained Over Alleged Role in Protest Crackdown

Former Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Affairs Minister Ramesh Lekhak have been arrested by Nepal’s police in connection with their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters last year.

The arrests were made on Saturday, a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet took office following the country’s first elections since the 2025 uprising. According to authorities, Oli was taken into custody from his residence in Bhaktapur, while Lekhak was detained from another area of the suburb.

New Home Minister Sudan Gurung stated that the arrests are part of the law enforcement process, saying “promise is a promise: No one is above the law”. He also described the arrest as “the beginning of justice”, stating that he believes the country is now headed in a new direction.

Oli has yet to issue a statement regarding his arrest. The 2025 uprising resulted in at least 77 deaths, with 19 young people among those killed during the initial crackdown on protesters. The incident sparked widespread protests and led to the government’s collapse.

A government-backed commission into the uprising recommended the prosecution of Oli and other senior officials. The report stated that while there was no evidence of an order to shoot, there was a failure to stop or control the firing, resulting in the deaths of minors.

Oli has previously denied ordering security forces to open fire on protesters, blaming “infiltrators” for the violence during his failed bid for re-election. Prime Minister Shah and his Rastriya Swatantra Party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections this month, with Shah challenging and defeating Oli in his own constituency.

Source: Al Jazeera