Kathmandu, April 2: During the first federal parliament session following the March 5 elections in Nepal, the arrest of former Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak over the suppression of Gen-Z protests in September last year sparked heated debate.
The protests had left 77 people dead and caused damage worth NPR 84 billion. Oli, chairperson of CPN-UML, and Lekhak, a Nepali Congress leader, were arrested on March 28 in a culpable homicide case linked to the crackdown.
Rabi Lamichhane, President of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), defended the arrests, calling them justice for the martyrs’ families, and assured that the government would not seek revenge against opposition parties despite its parliamentary majority. He also promised reforms to correct past practices that protected those in power and targeted opposition.
CPN-UML leaders criticized the arrests as part of a larger conspiracy, pointing to state institutions, NGOs, and alleged misinformation campaigns as contributing factors to the RSP’s victory.
Nepali Congress lawmakers questioned the impartiality of the High-Level Commission and called for a detailed investigation into the September 8–9 incidents, which included the burning of Parliament and Singha Durbar.
Lamichhane also issued a historic public apology to Nepal’s Dalit community for centuries of discrimination and pledged justice, marking the government’s first collective acknowledgment of historical oppression. (IANS)
