Former Nepalese Prime Minister Oli was arrested by police on Saturday on suspicion of involvement in the violent crackdown on protests last September that resulted in the deaths of dozens of young people.
A spokesperson for the Nepalese police said that Oli was arrested in the morning and that everything proceeded according to law. Former Home Minister Lekhak was also arrested alongside Oli.
The new Nepalese Prime Minister Barendra and 14 new cabinet members had just been sworn in the previous day.
On September 8 and 9 last year, Nepal broke out in a protest movement called the “Generation Z Protest” against corruption, triggered by a government-imposed, short-lived social media ban, which then ignited the public’s longstanding anger over economic hardships.
The situation quickly escalated when security forces used force, resulting in at least 77 deaths. On the first day of protests alone, at least 19 young people lost their lives. The following day, unrest spread nationwide, parliament and government buildings were set on fire, ultimately leading to the fall of Oli’s government.
During the interim government’s rule, a government-backed investigation committee recommended prosecuting Oli and other officials to look into this deadly uprising.
The investigative report stated that although there was no conclusive evidence that the government ordered the shootings, the government failed to prevent or stop law enforcement from opening fire, and due to their neglect of duty, some minors also lost their lives.
Oli previously denied ordering security forces to open fire on protesters. After failing to secure re-election on March 5, he blamed the violence on “infiltrators.”
Nepal held federal House of Representatives elections on March 5. According to the results released by the Nepalese Election Commission, Barendra’s National Independent Party won 182 out of 275 seats in the House, becoming the largest party in the chamber.