Former Nepal Prime Minister Oli, former Minister Deepak Khadkar arrested during Gen Z protests

Nepal’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CIB) arrested former Energy Minister Deepak Khadka on Sunday in connection with the Gen Z protests last September, an official said.CIB spokesman Shiva Kumar Shrestha told AFP that Khadka was “arrested in connection with a case related to money laundering”.Shrestha added that the Money Laundering Investigation Department will oversee the investigation against the Nepali Congress leader.Meanwhile, Home Minister Sudan Gurung wrote on Facebook that Khadka was “detained today in connection with investigations into funds recovered from his residence during the September 9 protests.”The development came a day after then-PM KP Sharma Oil The then home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, was arrested for his alleged role in the deadly crackdown on Gen Z protesters.Also read: Hours after taking oath, Nepal government arrests former PM Oli over Gen Z protest deathsThe youth-led uprising began with a short-lived social media ban but quickly expanded to reflect long-standing grievances over corruption and economic hardship.According to the Commission of Inquiry into the Violence, at least 76 people died in the crackdown on September 8 and 9.Also read: Expert panel seeks to prosecute Oli over deadly Gen Z protests as new Nepal PM Balendra Shah takes officeDemonstrators set fire to parliament buildings and government offices, eventually overthrowing Oli’s government.Khadka’s home was set on fire and a widely circulated video showed protesters throwing cash found in his home into the air.An interim government led by former chief justice Sushila Karki took over and ruled Nepal until general elections held earlier this month, which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSP) won in a landslide.RSP leader and rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah officially took office as prime minister on Friday. Shah, 35, a former mayor of Kathmandu, had also been considered to lead the caretaker government before Karki’s appointment. He also defeated the previous four prime ministers in the Jhapa-5 constituency represented by Oli. Shah’s government has unveiled an ambitious 100-point governance reform agenda that includes plans to set up a commission of inquiry to scrutinize the assets of politicians and senior state officials.

The agenda was announced on the same day that Oli and Lecak were detained. The investigative committee had earlier recommended that Oli and other officials be prosecuted for “neglect of duty” for failing to prevent security forces from firing on protesters.They denied ordering troops to fire on demonstrators.