Nepal imposes travel ban on former PM Oli and 4 others

Nepal’s interim government has barred former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and four senior officials from traveling abroad or leaving the Kathmandu Valley without approval. The move follows recommendations from a probe committee investigating alleged excessive suppression of the Gen-Z protests on September 8-9, which left 74 people dead.

The ban also applies to former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, ex-National Investigation Department chief Hutaraj Thapa, and former Kathmandu Chief District Officer Chhabi Raj Rijal. Officials are accused of authorizing or failing to prevent police firing on demonstrators, despite rules permitting only shots below the knee. Postmortems showed protesters were hit in the head and chest.

On September 8, police fire killed 21 youths marching from Maiti Ghar to New Baneshwar. The next day, enraged crowds attacked Parliament, Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, the President’s Office, the Prime Minister’s residence, and private homes of leaders.

Oli resigned on September 9 and resurfaced publicly only on September 27, claiming he had instructed police to avoid casualties and blaming “infiltrators” for the violence. However, sources confirm the Home Ministry and local officials had issued shoot orders with Oli aware of the situation.

After his fall, an interim government led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki took charge on September 12, dissolved Parliament, and set fresh elections for March 5, 2025.