Oli Quits as Nepal PM Amid Violent Protests

Monday’s protests had left 19 people dead and over 200 injured in police firing. While the social media ban was revoked late on Monday night, it was too late. The resignation came as violent protests against rampant corruption rocked the Himalayan nation on Tuesday as well, with mobs targeting the private residences of top ministers, attacked political party offices and vandalised Parliament, trying to burn down the building.

Soon after he resigned, video images started circulating showing Oli being evacuated from the PM’s residence in a helicopter, reportedly with the Army’s help. Television reports claimed that he is likely to flee to Dubai, and that a private jet has been kept in readiness. The Army has reportedly been active in efforts to form a new government.

Hours before Oli’s resignation, the protesters set on fire his private house at Balkot, and attacked the properties of President Ramchandra Paudel, former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, communications minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, former home minister Ramesh Lekhak and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba. The demonstrators held anti-government marches in all leading cities and towns.

In New Delhi, the Indian government said it was “closely monitoring the developments in Nepal” after several deaths were reported in police firing on Monday. India on Tuesday said it was “deeply saddened by the loss of many young lives” and hoped “all concerned will exercise restraint and address any issues through peaceful means and dialogue”.

Flight services at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport were partially suspended in view of the protests. Both Air India and Indigo halted flights between India and Nepal.

With the situation deteriorating rapidly, the Nepal Army’s top brass and other security agencies issued a joint appeal calling for restraint and resolution of the crisis through dialogue. “As the Prime Minister’s resignation has already been accepted by the President, we call upon all to restrain and not to allow more loss to life and property in this difficult situation,” they said. The statement was signed, among others, by Nepal Army chief Gen. Ashok Raj Sigdel and top bureaucrats.

Oli stepped down soon after hundreds of agitators barged into his office shouting slogans demanding his ouster for the death of at least 19 people in police action during the protests on Monday as well as for his alleged “inaction” over widespread corruption.

In his resignation letter to President Paudel, the 73-year-old Communist leader and four-time PM cited the “extraordinary circumstances” facing Nepal and said he was quitting to pave the way for a “constitutional and political” resolution of the situation.

Oli, known to be close to China, had become the Prime Minister in July 2024 for the fourth time with the help of the Nepali Congress. He was due to visit India this month.

The Gen Z group, which was campaigning against corruption for some time, has used social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram to expose what they called the “extravagant lifestyles of the children of ministers and other influential figures”. They posted videos and images, questioning the sources of wealth that fund such opulence, purportedly derived from corrupt practices.

The Nepalese government had ordered the ban on 26 social media sites, including Facebook and X, over their failure to register with the government.

The agitators shouted slogans such as “KP Chor, Desh Chhod” (KP thief, leave the country) and “Take Action Against Corrupt Leaders”. Demonstrations were reported from Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as Chyasal, Chapagau, and Thecho areas of Lalitpur district. The protesters, mostly students, chanted slogans such as “Don’t kill students”, defying the restrictions on public gatherings. In Kalanki, demonstrators burnt tyres to block roads. The youths also pelted stones at the residence of communications minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi at Lalitpur district. Gurung had ordered the ban on the social media sites.

Oli was widely seen as a pro-China politician and kept raking up Nepal’s territorial claims on Lipulekh in India’s Uttarakhand state despite New Delhi rejecting these claims. His departure from the corridors of power in Nepal will be seen with some relief in India.
The protesters’ main demands included the resignation of the PM and formation of a national government, and strict action on corrupt politicians. Their other demands are guaranteed freedom of expression, and the introduction of a retirement age for those holding political office, according to Gen Z activists.

Senior Nepali Congress leaders Bimalendra Nidhi and Arjun Narsingh Kesi suggested that the party withdraw all ministers from the government, form a new government, and start talks with the agitating Gen Z group.