Chandigarh- Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned from his post today. Protests are taking place across the country after the corruption case and ban on social media applications in Nepal and a large number of protesters entered the Parliament building today. Earlier, Nepal's Army Chief had asked the Prime Minister to resign, saying that the situation could improve by resigning.
Earlier, three ministers of the Oli government had also resigned and opposition parties were demanding the Prime Minister's resignation. Meanwhile, protesters entered the Nepal Parliament and set it on fire. Black clouds of smoke are seen coming from the Nepali Parliament in the pictures that have surfaced. On this occasion, Air India has suspended flights to Nepal. This decision was taken after the closure of Nepal's main airport and violent protests.
Fresh student-led protests broke out in several parts of Nepal today. The protesting students had defied a ban on public gatherings and demanded the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. According to a PTI report, protests were reported from Kathmandu's Kalanki and Baneshwar as well as Chapgaon-Thecho area of ??Lalitpur district. Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had called an all-party meeting on Tuesday to discuss the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Nepal.
The protesters, majority of whom were students, defied a ban on public gatherings and raised slogans like 'don't kill students'. ANI quoted 'The Himalayan Times' as saying that the protesters set fire to the private house of Communications and Information Technology Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi, Lalitpur on Tuesday morning. Gurung had ordered a ban on social media sites.
According to the police, the protesters initially pelted stones at the minister's house, after which the situation escalated to arson. According to a report by The Himalayan Times, there was a minor incident of vandalism and fire, although the situation is now under control.
In a recent development, Nepal's Agriculture Minister Ram Nath Adhikari resigned on Tuesday. He condemned the government's action against the protesters.
According to a report by The Kathmandu Post, Adhikari, a member of the Shekhar Koirala faction of the Nepali Congress, resigned against the government's authoritarian attitude towards Monday's 'Gen Z' protests. His resignation comes after Home Minister Ramesh Lakhkar resigned on Monday, taking moral responsibility for the government's handling of the protesters.
Meanwhile, protesters in Kalanki burned tyres to block roads since early morning today. They raised slogans like ‘KP thieves, leave the country’, ‘take action against corrupt leaders’. The protesters also vandalised the house of former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ in Khumaltar, Lalitpur. They also protested in front of the house of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba in Budhanilkantha, Kathmandu. Authorities have imposed curfew in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhagatpur districts.
The Kathmandu District Administration Office has imposed curfew in the capital Kathmandu from 8:30 am until further notice. The Bhagatpur District Administration has also imposed restrictions in Madhyapur Thimi, Suryabinayak, Changunarayan and Bhagatpur municipalities from 8:30 am until further notice. The curfew in Lalitpur is in effect from 9 am to midnight, which includes areas like Bhaisepati, Sanepa and Chiasal.
Violent protests by youth against a ban on social media sites rocked Nepal on Monday. At least 19 people have been killed and over 300 injured in clashes between protesting youth and security forces. The Nepali army has been deployed in the capital as the situation worsened. Army personnel have taken control of the roads around the parliament complex in New Baneshwar.