Vlogger Ratan Karki apologizes for offensive remarks about PM Oli

Kathmandu, November 5 — Vlogger Ratan Karki, who had been under surveillance by Nepal Police for making offensive remarks targeting Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during the final match of the SAFF Women's Championship, has apologized.

The final match was held at Dasarath Stadium on October 30, where Prime Minister Oli was present. Meanwhile, Karki, who lives in Japan, posted a video on TikTok, in which he made a controversial statement about the Prime Minister, saying that "the Prime Minister could be killed."

In the video posted on social media, Karki stated: "You all are watching football, and I am watching something else. Today, we can kill him. If we form a group outside and surround him, we can kill him. If we don't do it today, we will regret it later." His remarks were aimed at the Prime Minister.

However, Karki later clarified that his comments were not directed at the Prime Minister or any political figure. He explained that the words "I will kill" were a "tongue slip" and he apologized for his statement.

In a follow-up video posted on TikTok, Karki offered an apology, stating: "In the game, whether we win or lose, it's our own place. We are learning, and some achievements come along the way. During the game, there were a lot of frustrations; it felt like we might lose. That was part of the game. Sometimes the tongue slips. We learned about it in school. I ended up saying 'I will kill' – but that wasn’t meant for anyone, whether it be animals or humans."

He continued, "While joking, while learning, while trying, I suddenly realized that I might have said something wrong. Immediately, I deleted it. The words I used came out of frustration and negative energy. Please do not interpret it as a political remark against any politician. I did not mean that, and I apologize for the wrong choice of words. It was not targeted at anyone in a political position."

An official from the Cyber Bureau informed Ratopati that Karki, originally from Bharatpur, Chitwan, is in the process of being brought back to Nepal. The official said, "The process is ongoing to file a case, obtain an arrest warrant, and communicate with Interpol."