Nepal Police Arrest Former PM KP Sharma Oli Over 2025 'Gen Z' Uprising Deaths

Nepal's police arrested former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Saturday, March 28, 2026, in connection with the deaths of at least 76 people during the "Gen Z" anti-corruption uprising of September 2025. Officers in riot gear detained both men at their residences in Bhaktapur, a suburb of Kathmandu, before taking them to the Kathmandu District Police Office. The arrests came less than 24 hours after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister, making the detentions among the first official acts of the new administration. Oli, 74, who has undergone two kidney transplants, was subsequently transferred from the police station to a hospital for medical checks. His lawyer, Tikaram Bhattarai, told Reuters the arrest was illegal and inappropriate, arguing there was no risk of Oli fleeing or evading questioning.

Investigation panel found negligence, not a direct shoot order A government-backed investigation commission headed by former judge Gauri Bahadur Karki concluded that Oli and Lekhak should face prosecution for criminal negligence in connection with the September 2025 crackdown. The commission's report, made public this week, stated that it was "not established that there was an order to shoot," but found that "no effort was made to stop or control the firing and, due to their negligent conduct, even minors lost their lives." Oli is being investigated under Section 182 of Nepal's Criminal Code 2017, which prohibits negligent killing and carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison. The commission separately recommended punishment of up to 10 years in prison for Oli, Lekhak, and the chief of police at the time of the protests. Lekhak faces the additional accusation of having ordered security forces to open fire on demonstrators. The investigative panel held Oli specifically responsible for failing to stop hours of continuous firing on September 8, during which at least 19 protesters were killed inside the parliament compound. New Home Minister Sudan Gurung announced the arrests on Facebook, framing them as a fulfillment of a campaign pledge. „No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak under control. This is not revenge against anyone, it is just the beginning of justice.” — Sudan Gurung via AP

Social media ban ignited months of political upheaval The September 2025 protests erupted after Oli's government announced restrictions on social media platforms, including Discord, triggering mass demonstrations by predominantly young Nepalese. The unrest tapped into deep-seated anger over corruption, nepotism, and high unemployment in a country where the average age is 26. At least 76 people were killed and more than 2,300 were injured over two days of unrest on September 8 and 9, 2025. Angry crowds burned down the offices of the prime minister and president, police stations, and the homes of senior politicians, forcing officials to flee by army helicopter. The violence led to Oli's resignation, the dissolution of parliament, and the appointment on September 12, 2025, of Sushila Karki — a retired Supreme Court judge and former Chief Justice — as Nepal's first female prime minister, serving in a caretaker capacity until elections could be held. The Rastriya Swatantra Party led by Balendra Shah won a landslide victory in the March 5, 2026, parliamentary elections, the country's first since the uprising. Shah, 35, a former mayor of Kathmandu and onetime rapper, personally defeated Oli in the former prime minister's own constituency. Shah's first cabinet meeting on Friday decided to immediately implement the recommendations of the investigative commission, setting the stage for the arrests the following morning. The commission's report had been withheld from interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki until March 5 — the day of the snap elections — specifically to avoid interfering with the vote, according to La Vanguardia. The police chief at the time of the protests, Chandra Kuber Khapung, had not been arrested as of Saturday, despite the commission also recommending his prosecution. Oli has consistently denied ordering security forces to fire on protesters, and during his election campaign blamed "infiltrators" for the violence. Both Oli and Lekhak were expected to appear before a court on Sunday, a regular working day in Nepal.

Shah's party swept in on a wave of generational anger Balendra Shah's rise from Kathmandu mayor and rap artist to prime minister reflects a broader generational shift in Nepalese politics. His RSP outpaced the three parties that had dominated Nepalese politics since the country became a republic roughly two decades ago: the Nepali Congress, Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), and the communist faction led by veteran former guerrilla Prachanda. The poor showing of the established parties is widely seen as a direct consequence of public fury over the September crackdown and years of perceived misgovernance. Shah's administration has promised justice for those killed and wounded during the uprising. The arrests of Oli and Lekhak signal that the new government intends to move quickly on that pledge, even as Oli's party has vowed to take to the streets in protest.

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