Nepal sees third consecutive day of protests after former PM Oli's arrest

Protests continued in Nepal for the third consecutive day following the arrest of former PM K P Sharma Oli over suppression of Gen Z protests last year, even as authorities intensified probe against three ex-prime ministers over money laundering.

Oli and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday for their alleged involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, in which 76 people, including around two dozen youths, were killed.

The arrests came after the newly formed Balendra Shah government decided to implement the report of the probe commission into the Gen Z protests in its first cabinet meeting.

 

Hundreds of members of Oli's Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Lennist) and their sister organisations and student wings gathered at Naya Baneshwor area on Monday morning carrying placards that read "Immediately release KP Oli," and "End the politics of revenge."  Monday's protest rally was comparatively peaceful, unlike the protests organised by the party on Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday, over a dozen UML cadres were injured as they clashed with the riot police.

In another development, Nepal's Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) and Nepal police have intensified probe against former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal after the arrest of a former minister Deepak Khadka.

Before upgrading the case to a detailed investigation, the department had conducted preliminary enquiries for nearly six months, The Kathmandu Post reported.

The investigation was formally intensified after discrepancies were identified during that period, prompting authorities to widen the scope of scrutiny, the report said.

Former energy minister and Nepali Congress leader Deepak Khadka, arrested on Sunday in connection with a money laundering case, was admitted to Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj on Monday after complaining of health problems.

He was accused of receiving financial benefits in exchange for facilitating licences and contracts for projects while serving as the Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.

During the Gen Z protest last year, images and videos had surfaced showing burnt fragments of banknotes at the residences of Khadka and former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal.

The findings were reportedly later confirmed through forensic laboratory tests.