KATHMANDU: Nepal’s police have arrested 423 people accused of crimes ranging from murder to vandalism during a deadly mass uprising in September that toppled the government, according to police data released on Monday (Nov 10).
Suspects also face charges that include the illegal possession and use of weapons, as well as theft and indecent behaviour, the data showed.
“A team is looking into the incidents and we are working to collect information,” Nepal police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said.
Youth-led protests that rallied under the loose umbrella title of Gen Z, referring to those aged under 28, erupted on Sep 8 after a government ban on social media.
The movement was more broadly fuelled by economic hardship and growing anger over corruption.
Protests then morphed into nationwide fury, culminating in the collapse of the government as crowds torched parliament and the Supreme Court.
At least 76 people were killed in two days of violence, according to a new police toll, including 63 protesters, 10 escaped prisoners and three police officers.
Thousands of activists used the group-chat app Discord in the aftermath of the uprising to nominate 73-year-old former chief justice Sushila Karki as their preferred interim leader.
She was then appointed prime minister until the elections due in March 2026.
Arrests have taken place since the unrest, but the police data issued on Monday gave the first indication of the scale of the detentions.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/nepal-police-arrest-people-september-protests-5457936
