Ex-Nepal PM Oli, Ex-Home Minister Arrested Over Gen-Z Protest Deaths

Commission Blames Top Leaders

The arrest follows a report by an inquiry commission that blamed both men for the student deaths during police gunfire. The commission's findings were acted on right away at the first cabinet meeting chaired by Balen Shah. That meeting approved enforcement of the report's recommendations, which directly led to these arrests. The report also criticized specific officers in the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and army - yet no action has been taken against any of them so far.
Oli and lekhak are now facing legal proceedings based on findings from an official investigation into student deaths during protest actions involving police fire. The decision to act was not delayed or debated. So it came through swiftly after the report was finalized.

Protests Erupt in Kathmandu

Since the arrest of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, his fans and followers have been protesting in different spots of Kathmandu. Besides setting fire to the copies of the Carqui Commission report, the demonstrators expressed their anger at the report that investigated the Gen Z movement. Police presence in the area was very low, although the protesters had set the fires and showed the report near the UML central office in Chyasal. 

Home Minister: "No One Above Law"

Sudan Gurung, who is the present Home Affairs minister, responded immediately by saying "A promise is a promise," and "No one is above the law."
"We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and outgoing Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak under control. This is not revenge against anyone; it is just the beginning of justice. I believe that now the country will take a new direction," he wrote in a post on social media platform X.

Gen-Z Protests: 77 Lives Lost

The Gen Z demonstrations aimed at last year to protest a brief social media shut down and at the same time in deep anger over the worsening of economic conditions. At least 77 individuals lost their lives and many others were wounded in these protests held on September 8 and 9. Among those were at least 19 young people who were killed as a result of the police crackdown on the very first day of the protests.
On the following day, the protest had spilled over throughout the country and parliament and government offices were set on fire resulting in the government's later fall.