On Tuesday, September 9, the street protests in Nepal escalated as protesters set fire to government buildings and politicians’ residences, and attacked some leaders. The 73-year-old Prime Minister and Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Khadga Prasad Oli was forced to resign, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
The protests originated from the dissatisfaction of the younger generation with the social media ban. On Monday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, to protest the government’s recent implementation of a social media ban. Clashes between protesters and security forces resulted in at least 19 deaths and over 300 injuries, fueling public anger.
Despite the government lifting the social media ban on Tuesday and confirming that all platforms have resumed operations, the protests have not subsided. Instead, they have expanded to widespread criticism of the communist regime and accusations of corruption against the country’s political elites. Protesters even occupied government buildings, the parliament house, Prime Minister Oli’s residence, and those of several top officials, setting them on fire. One protester even climbed to the rooftop, tore down the party flag of the Communist Party headquarters, and the crowd cheered loudly.
Faced with an uncontrollable situation, Prime Minister Oli announced his resignation on Tuesday. However, this move had little effect on quelling the protests. Tens of thousands of protesters remained on the streets later that Tuesday, blocking roads and storming government facilities, forcing the authorities to deploy military helicopters to evacuate some ministers to safety.
On Wednesday, September 10, the Nepalese army moved into the capital to take over maintaining order after the police failed to control the situation. A military spokesperson said they are working to restore normalcy.