KATHMANDU: CPN-UML leader Bishnu Rimal has raised concerns over the arrest of former Prime Minister and party chairman K.P. Sharma Oli on charges related to loss of life during the September 08-09, 2025 Gen-Z protests. Rimal warned that the arrest could trigger legal and political pushback.

In a statement on Facebook, Rimal argued that the arrest procedure did not comply with legal norms. He stated that an arrest warrant is generally issued only when a crime has occurred, a suspect is at large, or evidence may be destroyed. “None of these conditions exist in this case,” he wrote.

He further criticized the use of the Karki Commission report as a basis for the arrest, claiming that the case did not meet the requirements for an urgent arrest warrant.

Rimal described the warrant as “illegal” and alleged that the government had acted out of political revenge. According to him, both legal and political challenges are expected in response to Oli’s detention.