In one of the most dramatic political developments in South Asia this week, Nepal’s former prime minister K P Sharma Oli was arrested on Saturday in connection with the deaths of dozens of people during a violent crackdown on Gen Z-led anti-corruption protests last September.
The arrest came just one day after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as Nepal’s new prime minister, and followed a recommendation by an investigative panel that Oli should be prosecuted for negligence in failing to prevent the killings. His former home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, was also taken into custody.
Seventy-six people were killed last September when police moved to suppress protesters demanding an end to corruption. Oli’s lawyer denounced the arrest as illegal, and the detention sparked protests from his supporters, who clashed with police. The case marks a significant moment of accountability in Nepali politics — and a test of the new government’s willingness to pursue justice for the victims of state violence.
