Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested in Kathmandu over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protestors in September 2025. The arrests followed the swearing-in of new PM Balendra Shah and his cabinet, who pledged to implement recommendations from a probe into the violence that killed at least 76 people. The arrests have been met with criticism from Oli's party, with supporters claiming the move is vindictive. Oli's arrest is linked to the anti-corruption protests that led to his resignation and the subsequent government collapse.
The arrests of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak come a day after PM Balendra Shah and his Cabinet were sworn in. Former Prime Minister of Nepal and Chairman of Communist Party of Nepal K.
P. Sharma Oli was forced to resign after the deadly youth-led protests against corruption in September 2025. Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.KATHMANDU: Nepal's former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested Saturday morning over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protestors in September, police said."They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law," Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari told AFP. An inquiry commission into the violence found that at least 76 people were killed in the anti-corruption youth uprising on Sep 8 and 9.At least 19 young people were killed in a crackdown on the first day of protests, which began over a brief social media ban but tapped into longstanding fury over economic hardship. The unrest spread nationwide the following day as parliament and government offices were set ablaze, resulting in the government's collapse. The government-backed inquiry commission recommended during a caretaker administration that Oli and other officials be prosecuted. The report said that it was"not established that there was an order to shoot", but said that"no effort was made to stop or control the firing and, due to their negligent conduct, even minors lost their lives".He told AFP during his failed bid for re-election in the March 5 poll that he blamed"infiltrators" for the violence. Demonstrators gather near the parliament during a protest against corruption and the government's decision to block several social media platforms, in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sep 8, 2025. "They have been arrested for investigation on the protests of Sep8 and 9," Kathmandu district police spokesman Pawan Kumar Bhattarai said. AFP reporters later saw him walk into hospital, dressed in white and surrounded by a heavy police guard."They will oversee his treatment. He has issues with his heart and kidney.""This is a revengeful act, may the government immediately take this decision back," senior party leader Mahesh Basnet told reporters.Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, and his Rastriya Swatantra Party won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections this month on a platform of youth-driven political change. Shah challenged and defeated Marxist leader Oli in the four-time ex-prime minister's own constituency. Shah's first cabinet meeting on Friday evening decided to implement the recommendations made by the probe commission. The commission's report said victims in 48 out of 63 completed autopsies died of bullet wounds, and that the majority were struck in their chest or head. More than 200 people were questioned, including Oli, and a 900-page report with an additional 8,000 pages of evidence was submitted. "No one is above the law... This is not revenge against anyone, just the beginning of justice. I believe, now the country will take a new direction," newly appointed Home Minister Sudan Gurung, who was a key figure in the protests, posted on Instagram."This arrest is vindictive, I will fight a legal battle for it, prepare yourselves," Oli told his lawyers, the site reported. Oli's political career stretches nearly six decades, a period that saw a decade-long civil war and Nepal's 2008 abolition of its monarchy. As prime minister, Oli became a lightning rod for protester fury. He resigned on Sep 9, 2025, as mobs torched his house, parliament and government offices. In his resignation letter, Oli said he hoped stepping down would help"move towards a political solution and the resolution of the problems".We know it's a hassle to switch browsers but we want your experience with CNA to be fast, secure and the best it can possibly be.
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