Deposed PM KP Sharma Oli (PTI file photo)
Days after massive unrest upended Nepal’s political situation, deposed Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has shifted from army protection to a private residence. According to news agency PTI, citing Nepal army sources, Oli spent nine days under army security before moving out.Oli had flown to an army barracks — believed to be in the Shivapuri forest area, north of Kathmandu on September 9, immediately after the Gen Z-led protests turned violent and he resigned as Prime Minister.After nine days in army security, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) (CPN-UML) relocated to a private location, the Nepal Army confirmed. However, his current address has not been officially disclosed. Media reports indicate that Oli has shifted to a private house in the Gundu area of Bhaktapur district, about 15 km east of Kathmandu.During the second day of the protests on September 9, Gen Z demonstrators burned Oli’s house in Balkot, Bhaktapur, to ashes. On the same day, while Oli was at the official residence of the Nepal Prime Minister, protesters also partially torched the Prime Minister’s Office in Balkot. He was safely evacuated by a Nepal Army helicopter. Several other senior political figures — including former Prime Ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda,’ Sher Bahadur Deuba, Jhalanath Khanal, Madhav Kumar Nepal, and others — had also taken shelter under army protection for a few days. At present, only Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba and his spouse, former foreign minister Arzju Rana Deuba, remain under army security. The couple sustained injuries during the protests and are currently receiving hospital treatment under military protection.Meanwhile, the CPN-UML, led by Oli, is planning a separate event to mark Constitution Day on September 19 at Chyasal in Lalitpur district, where the party’s central office is located. However, it remains uncertain whether Oli will attend the programme.Nepal will observe Constitution Day on Ashoj 3 of the Bikram Era calendar—September 19 this year—marking the promulgation of the country’s constitution drafted by the Constituent Assembly on September 20, 2015.The Nepal government is organising a grand celebration in Kathmandu on September 19 to mark Constitution Day and has declared a public holiday for the occasion. President Ramchandra Paudel, Prime Minister Sushila Karki, the Nepal army chief, ministers and other dignitaries are scheduled to attend.
