Nepal ex-PM arrested over deaths during Gen Z protests

Nepal’s former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, has been arrested as police investigate whether he was negligent in preventing dozens of deaths during Generation Z protests in September.

Home minister Ramesh Lekhak was also arrested.

They were detained on Saturday, a day after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister and after a Nepali panel investigating violence during last week’s protests recommended they be prosecuted for negligence.

A total of 76 people were killed in the two-day riots, leading to Oli’s resignation.

Police spokesman Om Adhikari said both Oli and Lekhak were detained at the Kathmandu Police Office and will appear in court on Sunday, a working day in Nepal.

“We arrested them in line with the recommendations of the investigation commission,” he said.

Eyewitnesses said Oli, 74, who had undergone two kidney transplants in the past, was later transferred from the police office to the hospital.

His lawyer Tikaram Bhattarai told Reuters the arrest was unnecessary.

“They said this (the arrest) was for investigative purposes. This is illegal and inappropriate because there is no risk of absconding or evading interrogation,” he said.

Lekhak and his attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.

The panel held Oli responsible for taking no action to stop the hours-long shooting spree that killed at least 19 Gen Z protesters on the first day of demonstrations.

Anger over the deaths helped push the Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party into a landslide election this month.