Kathmandu | Nepal reeled under a serious political crisis on Tuesday as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned in the face of massive protests for a second day, with the demonstrators storming many government buildings and setting the parliament as well as homes of several high-profile leaders ablaze, a day after 19 people died in violence.
The students-led "Gen Z" protests that began against a government ban on social media expanded into a larger campaign reflecting growing public criticism of the Oli dispensation and the country's political elite over alleged corruption and apathy towards the common people.
As the protesters, defying curfews and heavy deployment of security forces, continued to resort to arson and violence even after Oli's resignation, President Ramchandra Paudel appealed for calm and national unity.
"I urge everyone, including the protesting citizens, to cooperate for a peaceful resolution of the country's difficult situation," Paudel said in a statement.
In the evening, the Nepalese Army called for calm and dialogue to resolve the crisis.
The army took charge of security from 10 PM Tuesday, following a day of violent unrest in the Kathmandu Valley and several other parts of the country. It warned that all security mechanisms will be mobilised to contain the violence if such activities continue.
In a video message, Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel asked the protesting groups to suspend their agitation and engage in dialogue.
Though the ban on social media was lifted late last night, the intensity of protests grew on Tuesday, with the focus of the agitation shifting to anger over the deaths of 19 people in police action on Monday and the larger issues of alleged corruption and luxury lifestyles of the political elite.
A mob set a house belonging to former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal on fire in Dallu. His wife, Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, who was trapped inside the house, sustained serious burn injuries, according to eyewitnesses. She reportedly succumbed to her injuries at a hospital.
Hours before Oli's resignation, the protesters set on fire the Nepalese leader's private house in Balkot, and attacked properties of President Ramchandra Paudel, former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Communication minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, former home minister Ramesh Lekhak and former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
The houses and offices of several prominent leaders were set on fire, according to eyewitnesses.
With the situation deteriorating rapidly, the top brass of the Nepali Army and other security agencies issued a joint appeal calling for restraint and resolution of the crisis through dialogue.
"As the prime minister's resignation has already been accepted by the president, we call upon all to restrain and not to allow more loss to life and property in this difficult situation," they said.
"A peaceful resolution through dialogue is the only way to restore order and stability,” they said in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by Nepal Army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal, Home Secretary Gokarna Dawadi, Chief of Armed Police Force (APF) Raju Aryal, Inspector General of Police Chandra Kuber Khapung and Chief of National Investigation Department Hutraj Thapa.
Oli stepped down shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office, shouting slogans and demanding his ouster for the death of at least 19 people in police action during the protests on Monday, as well as for his alleged "inaction" against widespread corruption.
In his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel, the 73-year-old Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist–Leninist) leader cited the "extraordinary circumstances" facing Nepal and said he is quitting to pave the way for a "constitutional and political" resolution of the current situation.
Oli, known to be close to China, had become the prime minister in July 2024 for the fourth time with the support of the Nepali Congress Party. He was scheduled to visit India this month.
The agitators shouted slogans such as "KP Chor, Desh Chhod" (KP thief, leave the country) and "Take Action Against Corrupt Leaders".
Protesters also torched the residence of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak at Naikap in Kathmandu, just a day after he resigned from his post, according to officials.
Demonstrations were reported from Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal, and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as Chyasal, Chapagau, and Thecho areas of Lalitpur district. Protesters, mostly students, chanted slogans such as “Don’t kill students”, defying the restrictions on public gatherings.
In Kalanki, demonstrators burnt tyres to block roads from the early hours of the morning, according to eyewitness accounts.
The agitating youths also pelted stones at the residence of Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi at Lalitpur district, eyewitnesses said. Gurung had ordered a ban on the social media sites.
They also vandalised former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's house at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu.
The Gen Z group, which has been campaigning against corruption for some time, has used social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram to expose what they called the "extravagant lifestyles of the children of ministers and other influential figures."
They have posted videos and images, questioning the sources of wealth that fund such opulence, purportedly derived from corrupt practices.
The Nepalese government had ordered the ban of 26 social media sites, including Facebook and ‘X’, over their failure to register with the government.
Among the other demands of the protesters are a guarantee for freedom of expression and the introduction of a retirement age for those holding political office, according to Gen Z activists.
Nepal Army has also issued a separate statement expressing its commitment to protect the country's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence and national unity.
Kathmandu | The Nepal Army on Tuesday said that it will take charge of security operations from 10 pm, hours after Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigned following 27 hours of violent protests in Kathmandu and other parts of the country.
In a statement issued by the Directorate of Public Relations and Information, the army said that “some groups are taking undue advantage of the difficult situation and causing severe damage to ordinary citizens and public property”.
It warned that all security mechanisms, including the Nepal Army, will be mobilised to contain the violence if such activities continue.
The Nepal Army also appealed for public cooperation, urging citizens not to engage in or support destructive acts.
Violence continued on Tuesday in several parts of Nepal even after Prime Minister Oli's resignation, which appeared to have little effect on the protesters who set fire to the Parliament, the President's Office, PM's residence, the Supreme Court, political party offices and homes of senior leaders.
Prime Minister Oli quit shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation for the death of at least 19 people in police action during Monday's protests by Gen Z over corruption and a government ban on social media. The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.
Beijing | China has yet to officially react to the fall of Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, regarded as its steadfast ally, and the prevailing violent student movement against the political class of Nepal.
Oli resigned as prime minister on Tuesday in the face of massive anti-government protests with the demonstrators attacking private residences of several high-profile leaders, headquarters of political parties and even vandalising the parliament, a day after 19 people died in police action against the agitators.
His downfall followed days after his high-profile visit to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and the Chinese military parade to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in World War II.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency carried a brief report of Oli's resignation and news of protests breaking out in Nepal on Monday in Kathmandu and other parts of the country.
Oli is the second leader of a South Asian country after former Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina to quit amid a riotous situation after their visits to China.
Hasina fled to India on August 5 last year after massive student protests erupted over the alleged corruption and misrule of her Awami League government, days after her return from a high-profile visit to Beijing.
For China, the disgraceful exit of Oli, regarded as a pro-Beijing leader for his efforts to reshape Nepal’s traditionally India-friendly foreign policy towards China, was reminiscent of the fall of the Rajapaksa family rule in Sri Lanka.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned as president in 2022 following massive public protests over his misrule and corruption accumulated over the years by their family leading to the bankruptcy of the country.
The entire Rajapaksa family bore the brunt of the riots that followed.
Like Oli, Mahinda Rajapaksa, who served as president from 2005 to 2015, drastically tilted his country’s foreign policy towards China after permitting huge Chinese investments under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), including the Hambantota port which China subsequently acquired for a 99-year period lease as a debt swap.
Oli has signed a transit treaty with China to secure supplies to landlocked Nepal to reduce dependence on India and backed China-Nepal railway project through Tibet.
Oli’s recent visit to China attracted strong criticism back home for attending the V-day parade despite objections from Japan which was a major aid donor for Nepal.
His endorsement of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Civilization Initiative (GCI) during his meeting with Xi also drew sharp criticism at home.
“Successive Nepali governments have declined to be a part of the GSI, a Chinese security construct that is believed to have emerged as a counterweight to the global American military dominance,” an editorial in Kathmandu Post newspaper said commenting on the just concluded visit of Oli to Beijing.
“Nepali Prime Minister Oli seemed to be bending over backwards to please the Chinese, even agreeing to attend their explicitly anti-Japan parade in Beijing. The prime minister’s decision to attend the event could have far-reaching consequences on Nepal’s ties with Japan, among its most trusted international partners,” the editorial said.