Oli breaks silence, denies giving any shooting orders during 'Gen Z' protests in Nepal
Kathmandu (PTI): 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 September 8 and 9 against corruption and a ban on social media.
Claiming that there was "infiltration" in the "peaceful protests", he said, "The infiltrating conspirators turned the agitation violent, and this way our youths were killed.”
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Oli demanded an inquiry into the incident.
"The Singhdurbar Secretariat and Supreme Court were set on fire, Nepal's map was burnt, and many important government buildings were set on fire after I resigned from the post," he said.
"I don’t want to elaborate on the conspiracies behind these incidents; time will speak for itself,” he added.
He also recalled the challenges the country had faced while promulgating the Constitution.
"The Constitution was promulgated in the midst of a border blockade and challenges against national sovereignty,” said Oli, who did not appear at the Constitution Day event organised at the UML's central party office.
"All generations of Nepalis must unite — to confront the assault on our sovereignty and to defend our Constitution,” he added.
Oli had flown to the army barracks, probably in Shivapuri forest area in the North of Kathmandu, as soon as the Gen Z protest turned violent, even as he quit the post on September 9.
After spending nine days under the Nepal Army's security, Oli recently moved to a private place. However, the place where he is staying now has not been made public. According to media reports, Oli has moved to a private house in the Gundu area of Bhaktapur district, 15 km east of Kathmandu.
The Gen-Z protesters had burnt his house at Balkot in Bhaktapur to ashes during the second day of the protest. Oli was at the official residence of the Nepal PM when the protesters partially burnt the Prime Minister’s Office at Balkot.
However, Oli safely escaped with the help of the Nepal Army, who sent a helicopter to rescue him.
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Brazil's Ancelotti raises doubts about whether Neymar will reach the 2026 World Cup
Sao Paulo (AP): Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti raised doubts about whether Neymar will be in his squad for the 2026 World Cup. The Italian has yet to pick the former captain since he took over in May.
“If Neymar deserves to be (in the squad), if he is, well, better than others, he will play in the World Cup and that's it. (But) I don't have debts to anyone,” Ancelotti said at a press conference in Washington on Friday following the draw.
Brazil is in Group C with Morocco, Haiti and Scotland.
“If we speak about Neymar, we have to speak about other players,” Ancelotti added. “We have to think about Brazil with or without Neymar, with or without other players. Our final list we will make after the FIFA fixtures in March.”
The 33-year-old Neymar has never fully recovered from a torn ACL in October 2023 during a World Cup qualifier against Uruguay. But he's been key for Santos in its fight to avoid relegation in the Brazilian championship.
On Wednesday, he scored a hat trick for Santos despite a muscular injury. He is expected to play again on Sunday against Cruzeiro.
Ancelotti said Brazil does not have a “referential player” at the moment, a tag for the most valuable player that Neymar has mainly worn since the 2014 home World Cup.
“We have one of the world's best goalkeepers, some of the best defenders, top midfielders and some players up front. I don't want players who want to be the best in the world, I want players who want to win the World Cup,” Ancelotti said.
Asked about his team's group, Ancelotti said Brazil can top it.
“We can win all three matches, our idea is very clear. We need to be competitive during the entire World Cup. Our goal is to play in the final and for that to happen you need to face very strong teams anyway.”
Brazil won the last of its five World Cup trophies in 2002.
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