Police in Nepal arrested former Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli early Saturday, along with former home minister Ramesh Lekhak, as the government that took office this week moved toward accountability for last September’s unrest, which killed dozens and set off violent street fighting.
Authorities detained Oli at his residence on the outskirts of Kathmandu, according to the account from Nepal police described in the report. Police also arrested Lekhak and brought both men to the Kathmandu District Police office, after the arrests were carried out by several trucks of officers in riot gear.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung announced the detentions on social media, saying, “No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak under control,” and adding, “This is not revenge against anyone, it is just the beginning of justice.”
The arrests followed a change in leadership that began when Balendra Shah, a rapper-turned-politician, took office heading a new government after a landslide win in the parliamentary election with the Rastriya Swatantra Party. The police actions also came about a day after the new government’s start, as the transition period gave way to enforcement steps tied to the September protests.
A commission established by Nepal’s recent interim government had called for punishment of up to 10 years in prison for Oli, Lekhak and the chief of police at the time of the September protests, the report said. The commission’s recommendations have become the latest flashpoint in a political period still defined by the fallout from those demonstrations.
After the arrests, Oli’s supporters protested outside the prime minister’s office later Saturday, gathering in large numbers and demanding the former leader’s immediate release. They chanted slogans against the new government, burned tires and scuffled with riot police, which used batons to clear a road blocked by protesters.
Police said they detained seven protesters, while also saying there were no major injuries reported. The September unrest had left 76 people dead and more than 2,300 injured, according to the report, after youth-led protests against corruption and poor governance toppled the government and triggered new elections.
As those demonstrations unfolded, angry mobs burned offices of the prime minister and president, along with police stations and the homes of senior politicians who fled, the report said. The demonstrations also contributed to the appointment of Nepal’s first female prime minister, Sushila Karki, a retired Supreme Court judge who served during the transition leading up to the election that installed the new administration now taking office.