Ex-Nepal PM KP Oli arrested over Gen Z protest crackdown day after Balen Shah's oath

A day after Balen Shah was sworn in as Nepal's Prime Minister, his predecessor KP Sharma Oli was arrested over the crackdown on Gen Z protests.

In Short

• KP Sharma Oli could face 10-year jail after today's arrest
• Ex-Home Minister also arrested for Gen Z protest crackdown
• Move comes a day after Balen Shah's oath as Nepal PM

Former Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was arrested early on Saturday in connection with a culpable homicide case linked to the violent suppression of the September 2025 ‘Gen Z’ protests that ultimately led to his ouster from power. The development comes just a day after rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah took oath as the country’s new Prime Minister.

Nepali Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak was also taken into custody in the same case. Both leaders were arrested from their residences in Bhaktapur and are likely to be charged under provisions that carry a maximum prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Following the arrest, the 74-year-old, who had undergone two kidney transplants earlier, has been admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu after conducting a series of medical examinations.

Nepal was rocked by a massive youth-led uprising, dubbed the ‘Gen Z revolution’, in September 2025, fuelled by anger over governance failures, corruption, unemployment and political instability under KP Sharma Oli. What began as a movement for digital freedom soon evolved into a wider anti-establishment revolt, met with a sweeping state crackdown. The ensuing violence claimed at least 76 lives and left more than 2,000 people injured.

Oli’s arrest came after a high-level commission in Nepal to investigate violence during the anti-corruption protests recommended the prosecution of the four-time prime minister and leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).

The commission held the then PM responsible for failing to act to stop hours of firing that killed at least 19 Gen Z protesters on the first day of demonstrations that ultimately forced him to resign.

“As the executive head, Oli should be held responsible for anything, good or bad,” the report said.

Apart from Oli and his home minister Ramesh Lekhak, the panel also recommended action against the then police chief, Chandra Kuber Khapung, and dozens of other officials.

Oli rejected the findings as unacceptable.

“The report is extremely negligent, amounts to character assassination, and reflects hate politics. It is regrettable,” the Annapurna Post daily quoted Oli as saying in its online edition.

Meanwhile, the CPN-UML termed the arrest of Oli an act of political vendetta and convened an emergency meeting to chalk out its response. All office-bearers have been summoned to the party headquarters to deliberate on the future course of action.

Ahead of the meeting, Deputy General Secretary Yogesh Bhattarai said the development reflected political bias, while senior leader and former Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali described the move as unjustifiable, adding that the party would decide its next steps after detailed discussions.

If prosecuted as recommended by the panel and found guilty by a court, all three could face up to 10 years in jail.

In the March 5 general elections, Oli suffered a resounding defeat at the hands of Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) leader Balen Shah in the Jhapa-5 constituency, a long-standing stronghold of the Communist Party.

- Ends