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Nepal Arrests Ex-PM KP Sharma Oli Over 2025 Protest Crackdown
Nepal police arrest former PM KP Sharma Oli and ex-minister Ramesh Lekhak over deadly 2025 protests; new govt vows justice.
ND
by News Desk
2026-03-28
Nepal Arrests Ex-PM KP Sharma Oli Over 2025 Protest Crackdown

Nepal’s police have detained former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Affairs Minister Ramesh Lekhak for their alleged roles in a deadly crackdown on protesters during the 2025 uprising.

The arrests on Saturday came a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet were sworn in following the country’s first elections since the anti-corruption protests that toppled Oli’s government.

“They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law,” Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari said.

Oli, 74, was taken into custody from his residence in Bhaktapur, a suburb of Kathmandu, with images showing him entering a hospital dressed in white and surrounded by officers. Lekhak was also detained in Bhaktapur, according to his personal secretary Janak Bhatta.

New Home Minister Sudan Gurung posted on Facebook: “Promise is a promise: No one is above the law. This is not vengeance against anyone, it is simply the beginning of justice. I believe the country is now headed in a new direction.”

The arrests relate to a violent uprising on September 8-9, 2025, which began over a social media ban but quickly escalated into nationwide protests over economic hardships. At least 77 people were killed, including 19 young protesters on the first day, and government offices and parliament were set ablaze.

A caretaker government-backed commission investigating the uprising recommended prosecuting Oli and senior officials, noting that while there was “no established order to shoot,” authorities failed to prevent the violence, resulting in civilian deaths, including minors.

Oli has previously denied ordering security forces to fire, blaming “infiltrators” for the violence during his failed re-election bid on March 5. In that election, 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah defeated Oli in his own constituency, propelling his Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) to a landslide victory on a youth-driven reform platform.

At his first cabinet meeting on Friday, PM Shah approved implementing the commission’s recommendations, signaling a decisive shift in Nepal’s approach to accountability and justice.
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