Nepal has slapped travel restrictions on ousted Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and four top ex-officials, confining them to the Kathmandu Valley without clearance as investigators probe a youth-fueled protest wave that claimed 73 lives, torched parliament, and shattered the government in early September.

The bans, recommended by a commission under Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki—who steers the nation to March 2026 polls—stem from violence that erupted September 8 over a short-lived social media blackout, soaring costs, and graft woes.

What began as peaceful rallies spiraled into two days of chaos, with security forces' crackdown drawing global ire; the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce tallies $600 million in private sector hits from razed infrastructure.

Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal confirmed the curbs took immediate effect, with violators facing fines or jail; the panel's Bigyan Raj Sharma stressed the five "may need to appear for questioning anytime." Oli, who helmed the fallout, pinned the bloodshed on "infiltrators" smuggling rifles, deflecting blame from his short-lived regime's missteps.

Karki's inquiry, launched post-collapse, sifts through the rubble of burned ministries and looted offices, amid calls for accountability from rights groups decrying excessive force.

The Himalayan republic, reeling from its 11th leadership shift in 17 years, braces for elections that could redefine stability in a nation long plagued by political flux.

As Kathmandu locks down its ex-leaders, the curbs signal a hard pivot toward transparency, though Oli's camp decries them as political payback—leaving Nepal's fragile democracy to navigate grief, graft probes, and a youth revolt hungry for reform.