Kathmandu, Sept 9: Violent anti-government protests led by students entered the second day on Tuesday across Nepal, defying curbs on public gatherings, with demonstrators demanding Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s resignation and targeting residences of several political leaders.
Agitators under the banner of Gen Z torched Prime Minister Oli’s private residence at Balkot in Bhaktapur, while Oli remained at the official residence in Balwatar. Protesters also set ablaze the house of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak in Kathmandu’s Naikap area, a day after he quit over police excesses that left 19 people dead and over 300 injured during Monday’s crackdown on youth protests against a social media ban.
Protesters, chanting slogans such as “KP Chor, Desh Chhod” (KP thief, leave the country) and “Don’t kill students”, vandalised the homes of former prime ministers Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ in Lalitpur and Sher Bahadur Deuba in Kathmandu, as well as Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung’s residence in Sunakothi. Demonstrations spread across Kathmandu’s Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal, Baneshwor, and parts of Lalitpur, where tyres were burnt and roads blocked. At least four people were reported injured in fresh police firing.
The Gen Z group, which has been exposing alleged corruption and lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children through platforms like Reddit and Instagram, accused the government of trying to silence dissent by banning 26 social media sites, including Facebook and X. Though the ban was lifted late Monday, anger has continued to mount.
Protesters’ key demands include PM Oli’s resignation, the formation of a national government, strict anti-corruption measures, guaranteed freedom of expression, and a retirement age for political office holders.
Nepali Congress leaders have openly sided with the agitation. Party general secretary Gagan Thapa urged Oli to resign “taking responsibility for the situation,” while senior leaders Bimalendra Nidhi and Arjun Narsingh Kesi called for withdrawing support to the government and forming an all-party national government. Two Congress ministers — Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari and Health Minister Pradip Poudel — also resigned, citing the “harsh response” to student protests.
With 19 killed, including a 12-year-old student, and over 300 injured in just two days, the crisis has emerged as one of the most serious challenges for the Oli government, as calls for accountability grow louder.
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