Nepal's ex-PM Oli held over deaths during Gen Z protests

Photo: Reuters

Nepal's former prime minister, KP Sharma Oli, was taken into custody on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during Gen Z protests last September.

This week, a Nepali panel which investigated violence during the anti-corruption protests recommended that Oli, 74, be prosecuted for failing to prevent the crackdown on the protests.

A total of 76 people were killed in two days of unrest, which led to Oli resigning.

"They took him from his residence this morning," Min Bahadur Shahi, a senior leader of Oli's Commmunist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) told Reuters.

Police spokesman Om Adhikari confirmed the detainment of Oli and his home minister, Ramesh Lekhak.

Rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah was sworn in on Friday as prime minister after a winning the Mar 5 parliamentary elections.