Nepal in turmoil as President, PM resign

• Army warns it is committed to preserving law and order   
• Protesters torched Parliament, the Supreme Court and several government offices in Kathmandu   
• At least 19 people killed and over 100 injured in clashes with security forces   
• Curfew imposed in Kathmandu; Army deployed to restore order   
• Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was seen bleeding from his face, his wife, Arzu Rana Deuba was also assaulted   
• Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of another former Nepali Prime Minister, Jhalanath Khanal was burnt alive and later died.   
• Death toll rises to 22, with more than 200 injured  

Nepal plunged into a deep political crisis on Tuesday as  several top government officials, including President Ram Chandra Paudel  and Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, tendered their resignations  following days of violent protests that left at least 19 people dead.

  

The unrest, led largely by the country’s Gen Z youth,  erupted after the government banned 26 social media platforms - including  Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and YouTube—citing their failure to  register locally. What began as demonstrations against digital  restrictions quickly escalated into a broader uprising against  corruption, nepotism, and economic stagnation, news agencies reported.     

Protesters set fire to multiple government buildings,  including parts of the Parliament and the Supreme Court, as anger boiled  over across Kathmandu and other major cities. Residences of political  leaders, cabinet ministers and official buildings were set ablaze by the  angry youth with videos circulating online showing Finance Minister  Bishnu Prasad Paudel being chased and assaulted in the streets. Even  party offices and police stations have not been spared.   

Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign  Minister Arzu Rana Deuba were reportedly injured when their home came  under siege. Footage shows the former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba  bleeding from his face in the aftermath of the attacks.   

Authorities responded with curfews, mass deployments of  security forces, and a state of emergency in the capital. But the  heavy-handed crackdown only fuelled further outrage, drawing condemnation  from international rights groups for the excessive use of lethal force.    

The government has since lifted the controversial social  media ban and promised compensation for victims’ families, as well as an  investigation into the violence. A high-level panel has been given 15  days to report on the causes and accountability for the bloodshed.  However, in a written statement following the resignation of the  President, the army warned that the country’s security forces were  committed to preserving law and order. It was not clear if the army,  which so far has stayed in its barracks, would be mobilised to help  after police failed to control the situation.