Oli denies giving any shooting orders during ‘Gen Z’ protests

Kathmandu: Nepal’s deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli on Friday denied that he had given any shooting orders during the ‘Gen Z’ demonstrations, saying bullets were fired at protesters from automatic guns that the police did not possess and called for a probe into the matter.

In his first public statement since his ouster on September 9, the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) chairman blamed the infiltrators for the violence during the “peaceful protest” by Gen-Z. “The government didn’t order to shoot at the demonstrators,” 73-year-old Oli said in a message issued on the occasion of Constitution Day.

“The bullets were fired at the protesters from automatic guns, which were not possessed by the police personnel, and this must be investigated,” Oli said. Seventy-four people, including 3 policemen, were among the dead during the youth-led violent protests on Sep 8-9 against corruption and a ban on social media.