Kathmandu, March 28 Members of the CPN-UML staged demonstrations across Nepal on Saturday to protest the arrest of party chairman and former prime minister K.P. Oli.
The leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Oli, and former home minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested early Saturday morning on charges of involvement in suppressing the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9 last year, in which 76 people, including around two dozen young people, were killed.
Hundreds of CPN-UML activists gathered at the Damak municipality in the Jhapa district of the Koshi province, the Pokhara municipality in the Kaski district, and Maitighar Mandala and Babarmahal in Kathmandu to protest Oli's arrest.
The protesting cadres of the CPN-UML and activists belonging to the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU) chanted slogans against the newly formed Balendra Shah government and Home Minister Sudan Gurung, demanding the immediate release of Oli.
In Kathmandu, the CPN-UML cadres staged demonstrations in Maitighar Mandala, Babarmahal, Naya Baneshwor, Singhdurba, and Bhrikutimandap, where a large number of riot police were deployed.
Police used batons and fired several rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the crowd as the protesting activists threw stones.
A group of CPN-UML cadres also burned copies of the investigation commission report that held Oli and then home minister Lekhak responsible for the September crackdown on the Gen Z protest.
In the Bhrikutimandap and Babarmahal areas, the CPN-UML cadres and students burned tyres and chanted anti-government slogans.
Student activists belonging to ANNFSU were also carrying placards with slogans such as "Release K.P. Oli immediately," "Stop political revenge," and "Maintain the rule of law."
Pro-Oli cadres also demonstrated in front of the Singhdurbar Secretariat South Gate, where they clashed with the riot police.
As they dismantled the security barricade installed by the police, the security personnel used batons to disperse the crowd.
Kathmandu District Police Circle spokesperson Pawan Bhattarai said that seven CPN-UML activists were arrested for breaking the security barricade and attempting to enter a restricted area near the Singhdurbar Secretariat gate.
The investigation commission formed to investigate the incident surrounding the Gen Z movement has recommended legal action against Oli and Lekhak, among others, under criminal law.
Nepal's newly formed government, led by Balendra Shah, in its first cabinet meeting on Friday, decided to immediately implement the recommendations made by the investigation commission.