Nepal imposes travel ban on ousted PM Oli over protest violence

Nepal’s new interim government has issued travel bans on ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli and four former senior officials as part of an investigation into deadly unrest earlier this month, the interior minister said on Monday, September 29. Youth-led protests that began on September 8 over a brief social media ban and were fueled by economic hardship and corruption quickly turned into nationwide fury after a deadly crackdown. At least 73 people were killed, the parliament and government offices were torched, and the government was ousted.

In addition to the ex-PM, travel bans were imposed on former home minister Ramesh Lekhak, former head of the National Investigation Department security agency, Hutaraj Thapa, along with two other senior bureaucrats. Sushila Karki, serving as interim prime minister until elections in March 2026, set up a commission to investigate the violence.

After the commission recommended the measures on September 28, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said that the ban is “already in effect." Commission member Bigyan Raj Sharma said in a statement on September 28 that the five men must obtain permission to even leave the Kathmandu Valley as they "may need to appear for investigation at any time".

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) estimates the private sector, including automobile, hotel and retail industries, endured losses worth $600 million. Oli, the former prime minister, alleges “infiltrators” incited the violence and says the firearms seen at the protests originated elsewhere.