KATHMANDU, Oct 7: Police have forwarded official complaints submitted by Gen Z movement leaders demanding the arrest of former Prime Minister K. P. Oli and Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to the Gauri Bahadur Karki-led commission formed to investigate vandalism, arson, deaths, and other untoward incidents that occurred during the September 8–9 protests.
Members of the Gen Z movement reached the Kathmandu Police Office on Tuesday afternoon, demanding the arrest of Oli and Lekhak. The group, led by Sudan Gurung, also demanded the arrest of several other political leaders, accusing them of playing a repressive role during the September 8 protests.
Police face political heat over the prospect of arresting Oli,...
Police initially refused to register the case but later agreed to forward it to the Karki-led judicial committee to probe the vandalism, deaths, and other incidents linked to the protests. “We do not yet have the authority to investigate the case, so we forwarded it to the probe committee,” said SP Pawan Bhattarai of the Kathmandu Police.
Earlier in the day, the group staged a demonstration at Maitighar Mandala, displaying banners featuring the country’s top leaders, including former prime ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba, K. P. Sharma Oli, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and Jhala Nath Khanal, as well as Congress leader Ramesh Lekhak, UML leader Mahesh Basnet, and former Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba. Protesters wrote slogans on the banners accusing the leaders of responsibility for youth deaths during the protests, as well as corruption and hooliganism.
Prime Minister Sushila Karki of the interim government reportedly held discussions with the chiefs of all three security agencies regarding the matter. Police officials said they could proceed with filing a formal complaint against senior political leaders only if they receive written instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Meanwhile, the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), the student wing of CPN-UML, also filed a petition against Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balendra Shah and Sudan Gurung, accusing them of supporting vandalism and arson during the September 8-9 protest.
