SRINAGAR: Kathmandu is reeling under one of the worst political crises in recent memory as Gen Z-led protests spiraled into chaos this week, leaving at least 19 people dead and forcing Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, reports appearing in the international media said.
What began as demonstrations against a government-imposed social media ban quickly transformed into a nationwide uprising against corruption, nepotism, and soaring unemployment, shaking the foundations of Nepal’s fragile democracy.
On Monday, thousands of youth-led demonstrators took to the streets of Kathmandu after the Oli government blocked platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and X, accusing them of failing to register with Nepali authorities. Police opened fire on protesters, killing 19 people in one of the deadliest crackdowns since the 2006 people’s movement.
The unrest took a violent turn as mobs torched government buildings, stormed the residences of political leaders, and even assaulted former prime ministers and their families. Shocking footage on social media showed five-time prime minister and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, being beaten and bleeding before party workers rushed them to safety.
In another tragic incident, protesters set fire to the residence of former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal in Dallu. His wife, Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, trapped inside, sustained severe burn injuries and later succumbed in the hospital.
The private home of Oli in Balkot was also set ablaze just hours before his resignation, while the residences of President Ram Chandra Paudel, former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and other senior leaders came under attack. Eyewitnesses reported arson, looting, and mob violence across Kathmandu Valley as police struggled to regain control.
President Paudel has accepted Oli’s resignation, appointing him to lead a caretaker government until a new administration is formed. In a public appeal, Paudel urged protesters to stop violence and pursue dialogue. “In a democracy, demands raised by citizens must be resolved through negotiation, not destruction,” he said.
The Nepali Army, led by Chief of Army Staff General Ashok Raj Sigdel, has now been deployed to secure key installations, including Kathmandu airport and Singha Durbar, the government’s central secretariat. In a televised address, General Sigdel appealed for calm, offering condolences to families of the deceased while warning of strict action against vandalism and looting. “The Army has always stood for Nepal’s independence, sovereignty, and unity,” he said.
Although the social media ban was lifted on Tuesday, protests continued, fuelled by anger over the deaths and decades of political dysfunction. Protesters, mostly in their 20s and early 30s, have rallied against what they call “nepo kids” – children of political elites flaunting wealth while ordinary youth struggle with joblessness. Nepal’s youth unemployment stood at 20–22 per cent last year, according to the World Bank, with more than 2,000 Nepalis leaving daily to seek work abroad.
The violence marks a dangerous shift from Nepal’s past people’s movements, which had clear leadership and political goals. Analysts warn that the amorphous, leaderless nature of the current protests could push the country into deeper instability, leaving space for anti-system forces such as monarchists or hardline nationalists.
For now, a curfew remains in place across Kathmandu, with the army in control of law and order. Borders have been closed, flights remain suspended, and the government has warned that any further violence will be met with force.
The protests in Nepal echo similar youth-led uprisings across South Asia, from Bangladesh’s student movement to Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya. Whether Nepal emerges from this turmoil with democratic renewal or sinks into further chaos will depend on whether its political establishment and restless youth can find common ground.
