Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday morning in connection with the violence and deaths during the protests by Generation Z youth in Nepal in September last year. Both the leaders were detained from different places in Bhaktapur district.
Former Prime Minister KP Sharma was detained from his residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur. His personal secretary Janak Bhatta said that Ramesh writer was arrested from his residence in Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur at around 5 am the same morning. This arrest took place within 24 hours of the swearing in of the new government led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah in Nepal.
The arrest comes in a case related to alleged repression and negligence during the Gen-Z protests that took place in September 2025. Police had deployed teams from Bhaktapur District Police Range and Kathmandu Valley Police Office, while security was tightened across the Kathmandu Valley.
Gen-Z took to the streets en masse in Nepal in September last year. These demonstrations were against corruption and against the ban on social media. During these protests, a total of 77 people were killed in police action and damage worth billions was caused to government and private property. These demonstrations were so strong that KP Sharma Oli had to resign from the post of Prime Minister.
A commission of inquiry headed by former special court judge Gauri Bahadur Karki investigated the incident. The commission found that there was negligence and wrong decision on the part of former Prime Minister Oli and his Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak in firing on the protesters and controlling the situation. According to the Commission, despite having advance intelligence, necessary steps were not taken, which led to increased violence and many deaths.
The government started action on the recommendation of the commission. Oli and the author have been booked under sections 181 and 182 of the National Penal Code. If found guilty under these sections, the maximum punishment can be up to 10 years in jail. In this case, action has also been recommended against the then police chief Chandra Kuber Khapung and many other officers.
The youth had demanded the arrest of Oli and the writer from the beginning. Now after about six months, this action has been taken on the basis of the commission’s report.
The decision to implement the commission’s report was taken in the cabinet meeting chaired by the country’s new Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Friday. After this the Home Ministry gave a written order to the police. On Saturday morning, Bhaktapur police took both the leaders into custody.