In a move that has sent shockwaves through Nepal’s political establishment, authorities arrested ousted Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Saturday. The arrests are tied to allegations of criminal negligence during the “Gen Z” protests that rocked the nation last September.
The current Home Minister, Sudan Gurung—himself a prominent figure in the mass demonstrations that led to the previous government’s collapse—confirmed the detentions via social media. “No one is above the law,” Gurung stated, framing the move as the fulfillment of a promise to the victims’ families rather than a political vendetta.
The crackdown follows a report from a judicial commission led by Gauri Bahadur Karki, a retired special court chairman. The commission’s findings recommended a full investigation into Oli, Lekhak, and Police Chief Chandra Kuber Khapung for their roles in the deaths of at least 77 protesters, most of whom were young activists.
Heavy police presence was reported at Oli’s residence in Bhaktapur early Saturday morning. Scuffles broke out between security forces and loyalists of the Unified Marxist Leninist (UML) party as officers moved in to take the former leader into custody. Despite the resistance, police cleared the gates and escorted Oli away for questioning.
The political fallout was immediate. Leaders from both the UML and the Nepali Congress (NC) have denounced the arrests as “prejudiced and biased,” claiming the judicial report was weaponized by the new administration under Prime Minister Balendra Shah.
“This is nothing but prejudice and revenge,” said Mahesh Basnet, secretary of the UML, as the party called for an emergency meeting. Supporters have been urged to take to the streets, raising fears of a fresh wave of unrest in a capital that is still healing from the violence of the previous year.
The September protests, which originally ignited over a government ban on various social media platforms, escalated into a nationwide movement against the Oli administration. Beyond the 77 confirmed deaths, over 700 people were injured in the clashes, leaving a “systemic scar” on the country’s democratic fabric.
While the new government insists this is the “beginning of justice,” the opposition warns that these arrests could plunge Nepal back into a cycle of political instability. For now, the streets of Kathmandu remain tense as the nation waits to see if the calls for a counter-protest will paralyze the city once again.
