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AP, KATHMANDU
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Police in Nepal early yesterday arrested former Nepalese prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli over the deaths of dozens of people during violent protests in September last year that toppled the government and resulted in new elections.
Authorities arrested the Communist Party leader at his residence on the outskirts of Kathmandu. They also arrested former minister of home affairs Ramesh Lekhak, who has been accused of ordering authorities to fire on protesters.
The arrests came a day after a new government headed by rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah took office following a landslide win in parliamentary elections by his Rastriya Swatantra Party.
Former Nepalese prime minister Khadga Prasad Oli gestures after his detention in Kathmandu yesterday.
Photo: Reuters
“No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak under control,” Nepalese Minister of Home Affairs Sudan Gurung said on social media. “This is not revenge against anyone, it is just the beginning of justice.”
An investigation by a commission established by the recent interim government called for punishment of up to 10 years in prison for Oli, Lekhak and the chief of police at the time of the protests.
