Nepal court prolongs detention of former PM KP Sharma Oli over deadly protest crackdown

KATHMANDU, April 6 — A Nepal court has extended the detention of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak by another five days as authorities continue investigating their alleged roles in last year’s deadly protest crackdown.

Police arrested the 74-year-old Oli and Lekhak on March 28, a day after Balendra Shah was sworn in following elections held after the September uprising that brought down Oli’s administration.

Investigators are probing their suspected involvement in the suppression of protests that left at least 76 people dead. Both men have not been formally charged and have denied any responsibility.

“The court has granted a five-day extension,” said Kathmandu District Court information officer Deepak Kumar Shrestha, noting it was the third such extension as further inquiries are needed following statements recorded from both individuals.

The court stated that continued detention was justified to facilitate the ongoing investigation.

Oli has been hospitalised since shortly after his arrest for what police described as a procedural medical check-up, with authorities noting he suffers from heart and kidney issues.

Meanwhile, Nepal’s Supreme Court is reviewing a petition filed by Oli’s wife challenging the legality of his detention.

The arrests followed recommendations by an inquiry commission to prosecute the four-time former prime minister and other officials for failing to prevent security forces from opening fire on demonstrators.

The commission concluded that claims by Oli and Lekhak that they were unaware of the violence were attempts to shift blame and amounted to “criminal negligence”.

Oli’s CPN-UML party has condemned the arrests as politically motivated and called for protests.

The unrest initially erupted over a short-lived social media ban but quickly escalated due to deeper public dissatisfaction over economic conditions. Protests spread nationwide, with parliament and government buildings set ablaze, ultimately leading to the collapse of Oli’s government.

Shah, a 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician, later secured a landslide victory on a youth-focused reform agenda, defeating Oli in his own constituency. — AFP