KATHMANDU, Sept 9
Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday amid violent protests in Kathmandu and other parts of the country over the now-withdrawn ban on social media and alleged corruption. Reports quoted officials as saying that PM Oli decided to step down after hundreds of protesters stormed his office. Earlier, four ministers from his government resigned following the crackdown against protesters on Monday.
The country’s President Ramchandra Paudel has officially accepted PM Oli’s resignation. There were reports of widespread celebrations following the development.
This came after Nepal was rocked by second day of violent protests, with reports coming in of vandalism and clashes from several parts of the country. The violence witnessed on Monday resulted in at least 19 deaths and more than 300 people were also injured, mainly in the capital Kathmandu and surrounding towns.
Anti-government demonstrators today set on fire the private residence of PM Oli at Balkot in Bhaktapur. The PM at that time was at the Prime Minister’s residence at Balwatar. Protesters also vandalised and set afire the ruling party offices, CM office and buildings in Janakpur. The houses of ministers, political leaders and the central bank governor were also targeted.
PM Oli had earlier in the day called for an all-party meeting this evening to review the unfolding crisis. “I am in dialogue with the relevant parties to assess the situation and find a meaningful conclusion. For that, I have also called an all-party meeting at 6 pm today. I humbly request all brothers and sisters to remain calm in this difficult situation,” he said in an appeal for peace.
The government, amid the massive protests, had on Monday evening withdrawn the ban on most social media platforms following an emergency Cabinet meeting.
In view of the escalating tensions, authorities in Kathmandu had reimposed an indefinite curfew, and similar curbs were also imposed in other parts of the country.
Today, the Gen Z protesters managed to breach the security at the Singha Durbar premises forced their way past the main gates into the country’s central administrative complex. The Nepalese government’s various ministries and offices function from the Singha Durbar.
As per reports, police today fired tear gas shells to disperse the violent crowd. While the security forces had been instructed not to fire live ammunition at protesters, there were however local media reports of gunfire and bullet injuries.
The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was also shut down today and all flights were cancelled amid escalating tensions. The Nepali Army was deployed at the airport to secure the location.
