Nepal's former prime minister KP Sharma Oli has been taken to hospital following his arrest over his alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protests last year. Oli was admitted to a clinic in Kathmandu as a part of routine police procedure soon after his arrest at his home early on Saturday morning, officials say. More than 70 people were killed, many of them protesters shot by police, during an uprising in September - which was sparked by a social media ban but fuelled by anger over corruption and economic conditions. Ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak was also arrested on Saturday, after a panel appointed to investigate the unrest recommended the pair be prosecuted for criminal negligence. Oli, 74, was admitted to hospital pending results from medical tests, given his age and medical history of two kidney transplants, the hospital's information office told BBC Nepali. The arrests come a day after the nation's new prime minister, 35-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balen Shah, was sworn in following an election triggered by the crisis. They were arrested this morning and the process will move forward according to the law, Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Om Adhikari told newswire Agence France-Presse. Oli and Lekhak have not been charged yet. Oli has previously rejected the findings of the commission, stating they were character assassination and hate politics. His lawyers contend that his detention is unwarranted and illegal, given there is no risk of him fleeing or avoiding questioning. Supporters of Oli's CPN-UML party have begun protests in Kathmandu following the party's decision to launch nationwide demonstrations. New Home Minister Sudan Gurung welcomed the arrests, asserting that no one is above the law... This is not revenge against anyone, just the beginning of justice, he wrote. Families of 76 people who died have been calling for accountability since the crackdown. Oli had resigned on 9 September but contested elections held on 5 March, which led to the Rastriya Swatantra Party's historic victory.