 "Authorities have been trying to clamp down on demonstrators — mostly teens and young adults — without using lethal force. Reuters")
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned after ‘Gen Z’ protests in the mountain nation continued for the second straight day.
Despite the Nepalese government lifting the social media ban, protests were held in several areas across Kathmandu on Tuesday, with demonstrators targeting the homes of Oli and some ministers in the Nepal Cabinet. Oli, who was under immense pressure and had called for calm, has finally quit.
Follow all live updates on Nepal’s Gen Z protests here.
Gen-Z protesters in Nepal escalated their agitation on Tuesday by storming the Parliament and breaching the Singha Durbar, the country’s main administrative complex in Kathmandu. According to local reports, demonstrators forced their way through the complex’s main gates and entered the premises, while security forces struggled to regain control.
Authorities have been trying to clamp down on demonstrators — mostly teens and young adults — without using lethal force. The events come a day after at least 19 people were killed and hundreds injured when protesters clashed with police in Kathmandu. Ramesh Lal Lekhak, Nepal’s home minister, resigned on Monday evening, taking moral responsibility for the death toll.
Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav also resigned from his post on Tuesday. “Supporting the movement of Gen Z youths and opposing the repression carried out by the government and administration, I hereby resign from the post of Minister for Water Supply,” Yadav said. “Dear young brothers and sisters, you are my first companions and the source of my energy. I appeal to everyone to remain calm and to guide and support the youth in the right direction.”
The Nepal government later reversed its decision to ban over two dozen social media apps, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube. However, protesters remain unmoved saying they are also targeting a deep-rooted culture of corruption within the government.
What happened?
Protests continued across Nepal on Tuesday, with demonstrators taking to the streets , pelting stones, and tearing down barricades. Police resorted to firing tear gas shells to disperse the crowds. “Punish the murderers in government. Stop killing children,” the crowds chanted.
Police also fired warning shots into the air after demonstrators set a police vehicle ablaze.
Gunfire was heard at the residence of Oli, with reports of one person being injured. Demonstrators also targeted the homes of several Cabinet members. The home of Communication and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung was set ablaze.
The residence of Lekhak, who resigned on Monday, was also attacked. Stones were pelted at the home of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel in Bhaisepati. The house of former Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, aka Prachanda, in Khumaltar was also targeted by an angry mob. Dahal is the chair of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the main Opposition leader.
Pressure on Oli had been growing, with some members of the coalition and the Opposition demanding his resignation. On Tuesday, Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa demanded that Oli take moral responsibility for the deaths and step down. “Innocent youths have been killed unnecessarily. The prime minister must take responsibility for this suppression and step down immediately,” Thapa said.
Oli has now stepped down as prime minister.
The situation in the capital, Kathmandu, remains tense as authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew. Some demonstrators also gathered in front of Parliament in New Baneshwar — a few of whom were arrested by the police. “Yesterday’s protests exposed the government’s failure,” one person said. “I have come to stand with the youth.”
“We are here to protest because our youths and friends are getting killed. We are here to seek justice and to ensure that the present regime is ousted. KP Oli should be chased away,” Narayan Acharya, one of the protesters outside the battered wall of the Parliament building on Tuesday, said before Oli resigned.
“We need to protest the killings of so many young ones and students, who were targeted directly in the head by this Hitler-like KP Oli government. As long as this government is in power, people like us will continue to suffer,” added Durganah Dahal, another protester.
A mob also attempted to enter the Nepali Congress party office in Kathmandu’s Balkhu area. Protests have been reported in Kalanki and Chapagaun as well. Curfews have also been imposed in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. Nepal’s media are reporting that the domestic airport has been closed.
Why are protests continuing?
While social media is hugely popular in Nepal — with Facebook and Instagram having a combined user base of around 20 million, and about 90 per cent of the country online — the protests are about more than just the recent ban.
Protesters are also upset about the government’s use of lethal force against demonstrators. They are also calling out what they see as a pervasive culture of corruption among the elite and within the government. In the lead-up to the protests, people on social media criticised the so-called ‘Nepo babies’ and ‘Nepo kids’ — children of the political and business elite — questioning how they afford their lavish lifestyles.
Meanwhile, many senior government members — including the now former Prime Minister Oli — are facing corruption allegations. Oli has been charged with contempt for converting a tea estate into commercial plots, despite a Supreme Court order prohibiting it.
Prachanda has been accused of embezzling billions meant for Maoist guerrillas during the peace process that began in 2006.
Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba is under the spotlight for allegedly receiving kickbacks in the purchase of aircraft, while his wife, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, has been accused of sending Nepali citizens to the US under false pretenses as refugees.
A lack of opportunity is also fueling protesters’ anger. While Nepal’s GDP grew by 4.9 per cent in the first quarter of FY2025 — up from 4.3 per cent in FY2024 — those numbers don’t reflect the lived reality for most citizens.
Nepal’s unemployment rate was at 12.6 per cent in the 2023–2024 Economic Survey, but for youth, it was a staggering 20.8 per cent. Wealth inequality remains a major issue, and many young people are seeking to leave the country for better opportunities abroad.
As the World Bank notes:
“Nepal’s reliance on remittances… has been central to the country’s growth but has not translated into quality jobs at home, reinforcing a cycle of lost opportunities and the continued departure of many Nepalis abroad in search of employment. A staggering 82 per cent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, far higher than global and regional averages.”
The political instability — with Prachanda and Deuba taking turns to rule since Nepal became a republic in 2008 — hasn’t helped either. Earlier this year, protests even broke out demanding the restoration of the monarchy.
With inputs from agencies