Nepal’s former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday in connection with the killings related to the suppression of Gen Z protests in September, police officials said.According to Oli’s personal secretary, Oli was detained from his residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur, while Laikak was arrested from Suryapin Nayak in Bhaktapur around 5 am. The arrest was made after a formal complaint was lodged by the Home Office, which subsequently led to an investigation and the issuance of an arrest warrant.Authorities said the action was taken to implement the recommendations of a committee headed by former special court judge Gauri Bahadur Karki, The Kathmandu Post reported. The panel recommended charging Oli, Laikak and the then Inspector General of Police, Chandra Kubo Kapong, with criminal negligence under Sections 181 and 182 of Nepal’s National Penal Code, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.The committee also recommended legal action against several other officials, including then Home Minister Gokarna Mani Dharwadi, Armed Police Force chief Raju Ariyal, former National Investigation Department chief Hutaraji Thapa and then Kathmandu chief district officer Chabi Rijal.It also recommended that other officials found responsible be dealt with under the relevant laws governing their agencies.Additionally, the report proposes formal reprimands for senior police officers, including current Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki and Armed Police Force officer Narayan Dutta Paudel. Legal experts say such reprimands could affect their future promotion prospects.The committee blamed criminal negligence and recklessness for the violent crackdown on youth-led protests, citing a failure to act on previous intelligence warnings of a possible escalation. The protests resulted in the deaths of 77 people and the destruction of property worth billions of dollars.During the arrest, security was beefed up across the Kathmandu Valley with teams from the Bhaktapur District Police Range and Kathmandu Valley Police Station deployed.Senior government officials, including Home Minister Raj Kumar Shrestha and Law Minister Parashwor Dhungana, held consultations with police officials before the operation. Home Minister Sultan Gurung also chaired a late-night discussion with security chiefs on Friday.The arrests came a day after Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s prime minister. The 35-year-old leader of the Rastriya Swatantra Party took office under Article 76(1) of the constitution after it emerged as the largest party in the March 5 parliamentary elections. His swearing-in ceremony took place at the President’s Office in Sheetal Nivas and was presided over by President Ramchandra Paudel.Shah, Nepal’s youngest prime minister and the first from the Madhesi community, rose to prominence through his hardline stance against federal institutions and his focus on governance reforms.After taking office, Prime Minister Modi congratulated him and expressed the hope that Indonesia would strengthen cooperation in the future.
