Nepal’s former prime minister, Oli, has been arrested over his alleged involvement in the crackdown on protests

Nepal’s former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday morning over their alleged roles in a deadly crackdown on protesters in September, police said.

The arrests came a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet were sworn in following the first elections since the 2025 uprising that ousted Oli’s government.

“They were arrested this morning and the process will proceed according to the law,” Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari told AFP.

At least 77 people were killed during the anti-corruption youth uprising on September 8 and 9, initially sparked by a brief social media ban but fueled by longstanding anger over economic hardship. On the first day alone, at least 19 young protesters were killed in a crackdown.

The unrest quickly spread nationwide the next day, with parliament and government offices set ablaze, ultimately leading to the collapse of the government.

During the caretaker period, a government-backed commission investigating the violence recommended prosecuting Oli and other officials. While the report found no direct order to open fire, it concluded that authorities failed to stop or control the shooting, and that negligence led to the deaths of civilians, including minors.

Oli has consistently denied ordering security forces to fire on protesters, instead blaming “infiltrators” for the violence.

Prime Minister Shah, a 35-year-old former rapper turned politician, led his Rastriya Swatantra Party to a landslide victory on a platform of youth-driven political change, even defeating Oli in his own constituency.

At its first meeting on Friday, Shah’s cabinet decided to implement the commission’s recommendations. The report revealed that victims in most completed autopsies died from bullet wounds, often to the chest or head. More than 200 people were questioned, including Oli, and investigators compiled a 900-page report along with 8,000 pages of supporting evidence.

“No one is above the law… This is not revenge, but the beginning of justice,” newly appointed Home Minister Sudan Gurung said in a statement.

Local media reported that Oli rejected the allegations, calling his arrest “vindictive” and vowing to fight the case in court.

Oli, a veteran politician with a career spanning nearly six decades, led Nepal through periods including the civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. He stepped down on September 9, 2025, amid escalating unrest, as mobs torched his residence along with parliament and other government buildings, expressing hope his resignation would help pave the way for a political solution.