Nepalese police arrested former Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak on Saturday, accused of involvement in the crackdown on Gen-Z protesters last September. The arrests came a day after newly elected Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his cabinet took office. Kathmandu Valley Police spokesperson Om Adhikari confirmed the arrests and said further legal steps would follow.

The Gen-Z protests erupted after a temporary social media ban, fueled by long-standing economic hardship. The demonstrations turned violent on September 8 and 9, leaving at least 76 people dead, including 20 young protesters on the first day. The unrest led to Oli’s resignation at age 74 and the fall of his government. In the subsequent March 5 election, Shah’s Rastriya Swatantra Party won an absolute majority.

An interim commission investigating the violence recommended legal action against Oli and other officials, citing negligence in controlling the shootings that killed several children.