Nepal's deposed leader Oli moves out from hideout, plans to appear in public after party secretariat meeting

Lalitpur [Nepal], September 19 (ANI): KP Sharma Oli, who had stepped down after the bloodshed on September 8, is planning to appear in public after the party secretariat meeting, Pradeep Gyawali, the deputy general secretary of CPN-UML, confirmed to ANI.

Oli, who had been in hiding since September 9 under the shelter of the Nepal Army, has now shifted to a temporary residence and will appear in public after the party secretariat meeting, Gyawali told ANI.

“He (KP Sharma Oli) returned back to his residence, his temporary residence because his permanent residence has been totally vandalized, arsoned, and that house cannot be used immediately. He is now residing in a temporary residence. Today he also issued the constitution day message which I had read to the public. Gradually he will come forward to the public but prior to that we will convene the secretariat meeting, we will review all these evolving events and come forward with a concrete conclusion,” Gyawali told ANI.

After the bloodbath on September 8, referred to as the Gen-Z revolution, which has killed at least 74 people to date, Oli had fled his official residence and continued to hide. Gyawali did not mention where Oli has shifted, rather brushed off the blame that the government led by the deposed Prime Minister had ordered the use of force.

Oli, in a statement released on Friday, denied the accusations of ordering a crackdown on the protestors who had picketed the area near the federal parliament demanding an end to the social media ban and accountability with transparency.

“He (KP Sharma Oli) said that the government hadn’t ordered police to shoot the peaceful protestors. Those weapons which have been used that day, the very day, those were the weapons commonly used by Nepal Police. It should be investigated, he has said,” Gyawali noted, referring to Oli’s statement.

On September 8 alone, a total of 21 protestors, especially students below the age of 30 years, lost their lives. The following day, 39 people died, of which 15 had died of burns. The remaining 14 deaths were recorded till the tenth day following the violence.

The postmortem report of those killed in police firing in Kathmandu Valley stated death due to bullet injuries on the head and chest. During protests, police are only allowed to fire on protestors below the knee to control the situation.

The police also used some lethal weapons to crack down on the protestors, following which the former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak stepped down from his post. But Oli remained adamant about resigning despite rising pressure.

“On September 8 evening then Prime Minister Oli was adamant from stepping down. We had made it clear that we cannot support him and threatened to resign from the post but Oli didn’t budge. Now he is trying to set another narrative of showing himself clear. It is Oli who has blood on his hands, if he had stepped down the same evening, many lives would have been saved,” a former minister from Oli’s cabinet told ANI on condition of anonymity.

The September 8 protest has become the bloodiest day in Nepal’s modern history, recording the highest death toll since the 2006 movement to overthrow King Gyanendra. A total of 18 people had died in weeks of protest which ultimately ended the centuries-long monarchy in Nepal and paved the way for the Himalayan nation to become a democratic republic.

The protest, called in defiance of rampant corruption and the social media ban, saw police use water cannons, tear gas, and live ammunition against demonstrators. The police had fired while taking cover inside the parliament as protestors swarmed into the building and set the entrance on fire.

Demonstrations continue across Kathmandu and other major cities, with Gen-Z protestors rallying all over Nepal. Following the violence, then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepped down from his post and was succeeded by Sushila Karki.

With parliament already dissolved and elections scheduled for March next year, Nepal is traversing a bumpy road toward stability. But for the martyrs’ family members, there are empty rooms, silent conversations, and a dark and uncertain future waiting to embrace. (ANI)

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