Move FM Global News

KATHMANDU, Nepal: Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli has resigned amid the violence that continued for a second day Tuesday, which saw protesters torching the private residence of President Ram Chandra Poudel before storming the gates of Parliament.

The violence further inflamed unrest as nationwide anti-government demonstrations entered a second consecutive day, which has already claimed 19 lives.

Reports from local media suggested that the protests, spearheaded by student groups, broke out across several districts in defiance of restrictions on public gatherings. Demonstrators are demanding Oli’s resignation, accusing his administration of corruption, authoritarianism, and heavy-handed crackdowns on dissent. Large crowds gathered in Kathmandu’s Kalanki and Baneshwor neighborhoods, as well as in the Chapagaun-Thecho corridor of Lalitpur district.

Witnesses said protesters blocked roads with burning tyres from early morning, chanting slogans such as “Don’t kill students,” “KP Chor, Desh Chhod” (K. P. Sharma Oli is a thief, leave the country), and “Punish corrupt leaders.”

The anger was directed not only at the sitting government but also at political figures across the spectrum. In Lalitpur’s Sunakothi area, protesters hurled stones at the residence of Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, who had ordered a ban on social media platforms last week.

Mobs also vandalized the home of former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, better known as Prachanda, in Khumaltar, while crowds demonstrated outside the Budhanilkantha residence of another ex-premier, Sher Bahadur Deuba.

The unrest escalated after police opened fire on demonstrators on September 8, killing 19 people during rallies against the government’s decision to block Facebook, X, YouTube, and other popular platforms. Although the ban was lifted following the deadly crackdown, public anger has only intensified. Authorities have since declared indefinite curfews in Kathmandu and two other cities, while schools remain closed.

At the National Trauma Center in Kathmandu, doctors struggled to treat scores of wounded protesters. Seven of the dead were brought to the facility, along with dozens suffering gunshot wounds to the head and chest. “Many remain in critical condition,” said Dr. Badri Risa, noting that blood donations had surged as families waited anxiously for word of missing relatives.

The turmoil has already claimed a senior political casualty: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned during an emergency Cabinet meeting late on September 8.

At the heart of the unrest is the government’s attempt to push through legislation that would tighten state control over social media. The proposed bill requires platforms to register locally and establish liaison offices, a move officials say is necessary for accountability. Critics, however, argue it is a blatant attempt to stifle free expression and punish government opponents online.

Only TikTok, Viber, and a handful of others have complied out of roughly two dozen platforms operating in Nepal. TikTok itself was banned in 2023 for allegedly spreading “indecent material,” but it was reinstated after agreeing to government conditions. Rights groups warn that the latest push could signal a broader assault on democratic freedoms in the Himalayan nation.