Nepal’s former prime minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was arrested on Saturday as police investigate whether he was negligent in failing to prevent dozens of deaths during Gen Z anti-corruption protests last September, officials said.
His home minister, Ramesh Lekhak, was also arrested.
They were taken into custody one day after rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister and after a recommendation last week by a Nepali panel investigating violence during the protests that they should be prosecuted for negligence.
A total of 76 people were killed in two days of unrest, which led to Oli resigning.
Police spokesman Om Adhikari said both Oli and Lekhak were being detained at the Kathmandu Police Office and would be produced before the court on Sunday, a working day in Nepal.
