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Nepal’s ex-prime minister, K P Sharma Oli, and the former home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, were arrested for allegedly being negligent in preventing dozens of deaths during anti-corruption protests in September.
The two were taken into custody on Saturday after a panel investigating violence during the protests said last week that they should be prosecuted for negligence.
Seventy-six people were killed during the Gen Z-led protests across the country, which led to Mr Oli’s resignation.
The arrests also come a day after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as the new prime minister.
Both Mr Oli and Mr Lekhak were detained at the Kathmandu Police Office, according to Nepal police spokesperson Om Adhikari.
Mr Oli has been detained under suspicion of violating Section 182 of the Criminal Code 2017, which states that “negligent killing shall not be permitted” and carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a fine of up to thirty thousand rupees.
Meanwhile, Mr Lehkak has been accused of ordering security forces to fire on demonstrators.
"We have arrested them as per the recommendations made by the investigation commission," Mr Adhikari said.
Nepal’s current home minister, Sudan Gurung, announced the arrests on social media.
“No one is above the law. We have taken former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and outgoing Home Minister Ramesh writer under control,” Mr Gurung posted on Facebook.
“This is not revenge against anyone, just the beginning of justice,” he posted.
In a separate post, he said: “You messed with the wrong generation”.
Mr Oli, who has had two kidney transplants, was reportedly transferred to a hospital by the police.
"They have said it (the arrest) is for investigation. It is illegal and improper because there is no risk of him fleeing or avoiding questioning," Mr Oli’s lawyer, Tikaram Bhattarai, told Reuters.
Mr Oli was held responsible by the investigation panel for not taking any action to stop the hours of firing, which led to the death of at least 19 Gen Z protesters on 8 September.
While the panel’s report said it could not conclusively establish that an order to open fire was explicitly given, it concluded that Mr Oli and the authorities did not make any meaningful effort to stop the shootings.
Anger over the protests is thought to have fuelled the new prime minister, Mr Shah's Rastriya Swatantra Party, to a landslide win in this month’s general election.
Just hours after forming the new cabinet, Mr Shah immediately implemented the findings of the high-level commission.
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