Nepal's President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday appealed to all parties, including the agitating Gen Z, to exercise restraint and come forward for dialogue to resolve the crisis after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned amid massive anti-government protests.
"The country is passing through a difficult situation," he said.
"As Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's resignation has already been accepted, there is a need for cooperation of all sides who love the country, people and democracy, to find a solution to the current stalemate," he pointed out.
Prime Minister Oli stepped down shortly after hundreds of demonstrators entered his office shouting anti-government slogans. Hours before his resignation, the demonstrators set on fire the Nepalese leader's private residence in Balkot demanding accountability for Monday's fatalities.
Protesters also broke into the nation's parliament and set the building ablaze, an official said, after the prime minister quit in the wake of a deadly crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
"Hundreds have breached the parliament area and torched the main building," Ekram Giri, spokesman for the Parliament Secretariat, told AFP.
Meanwhile, twenty one MPs of Rashtriya Swatantra Party, the fourth largest national party in Nepal, resigned en masse on Tuesday amid the violent protests.
The protesters, under the banner of Gen Z, shouted slogans such as "KP Chor, Desh Chhod" (KP thief, leave the country) and "Take Action Against Corrupt Leaders" in multiple parts of the capital.
The agitators torched the residence of Prime Minister Oli at Balkot in Bhaktapur. Oli is currently at the Prime Minister's residence at Balwatar.
Protesters also torched the residence of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak at Naikap in Kathmandu, just a day after he resigned from his post following the police's use of force on youths protesting the government ban on social media sites left 19 people dead and over 300 others injured on Monday. Demonstrators are demanding Oli's resignation, saying the Home Minister's exit is not sufficient.
Meanwhile, major online news portals have strongly criticised Monday's police crackdown in Kathmandu, describing it as one of the deadliest days in Nepal's recent history.
Popular news portal Ukeraa.com described September 8 as "a black day" ,when the most number of demonstrators were killed in a single day in the history of Nepal." The media outlet demanded Oli's resignation.
Another news portal, Ratopati, accused the government of indiscriminately opening fire on protesting youths and students, describing the "cowardly action" as "highly deplorable."
The portal noted that the agitation, spearheaded by young Nepalis, was not politically motivated but fuelled by frustration over corruption, nepotism, unemployment and growing social disorder.
Several flights on Delhi-Kathmandu route cancelled
Air India, IndiGo and Nepal Airlines have cancelled their flights from Delhi to Kathmandu on Tuesday as the Tribhuvan International Airport in the Nepal's capital has been temporarily closed.
A source said one of the flights of Air India returned to the national capital on Tuesday as smoke was noticed at the Kathmandu airport during final approach of the aircraft.
"In view of the current situation prevailing in Kathmandu, the following flights AI2231/2232, AI2219/2220, AI217/218 and AI211/212 operating on the Delhi-Kathmandu-Delhi route have been cancelled today. We are closely monitoring the situation and will share further updates," Air India said in a statement on Tuesday.
'Don't Kill Students'
On Tuesday protests escalated despite curfew orders in Kathmandu and other parts of the country. Demonstrations were reported from Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal, and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as Chyasal, Chapagau, and Thecho areas of Lalitpur district.
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 from the early hours of the morning, according to eyewitness accounts. According to media reports, four people were injured as police opened fire at the demonstrators. The agitating youths also pelted stones at the residence of Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi at Lalitpur district, eye witnesses said.
Gurung had ordered a ban on the social media sites.
The protesters vandalised the residence of former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' at Khumaltar in Lalitpur. They also vandalised former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's house at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu.
The Gen Z group, which has been campaigning against corruption for some time, has used social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram to expose the extravagant lifestyles of the children of ministers and other influential figures.
They have posted videos and images, questioning the sources of wealth that fund such opulence, purportedly derived from corrupt practices.
The ban of social media sites, it said, was an attempt to suppress freedom of speech. The Nepalese government had ordered the ban of 26 social media sites, including Facebook and 'X', over their failure to register with the government. However, in a late-night development on Monday, the government announced the restoration of access to social media platforms, in an apparent bid to ease public anger.
The protesters main demands include the resignation of Prime Minister Oli, the formation of a national government, and strict action against corrupt politicians. Numerous posts on social media have called for Oli's resignation and the establishment of a new government.
Among 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.
Earlier in the day, Nepali Congress general secretary Gagan Thapa has called for the immediate resignation of PM Oli. "PM Oli should immediately resign, taking responsibility for the situation," he wrote on social media.
Senior Nepali Congress leaders Bimalendra Nidhi and Arjun Narsingh Kesi have suggested that the party withdraw all its ministers from the Oli-led government, form a government, and initiate dialogue with the agitating Gen Z group.
Talking to PTI, Nidhi said as the largest party in Parliament, Nepali Congress must safeguard democracy and the Constitution during these critical times.
"Nepali Congress should withdraw support to the Oli-led government and initiate the process of forming a national government," he said.
Kesi also said that Nepali Congress should withdraw from the government and initiate the process of forming an all-party government. He also demanded the creation of a powerful anti-corruption body to investigate the assets of those in power and take decisive action, alongside initiating dialogue with the Gen Z group.
Meanwhile, two Nepali Congress ministers resigned from the government.
Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari and Health and Population Minister Pradip Poudel stepped down, citing the government's harsh response to student protests on Monday.
However, some ministers remain in the Oli government.
Nineteen youths, including a 12-year-old student, were killed and more than 300 were injured on Monday as police resorted to firing, baton charges, and tear gas to disperse demonstrators opposing widespread corruption and the social media ban.
Kathmandu-Kalinga Lit Fest postponed
Meanwhile, the 4th Kathmandu-Kalinga Literary Festival was postponed in view of the prevailing situation in the Nepalese capital, its organisers announced on Tuesday.
The event was scheduled to take place on September 13 and 14 in Kathmandu, the organisers said.
Over 60 Indian and 200 Nepali writers, including Banu Mushtaq, Deepa Bhasthi and Basudev Tripathi, were supposed to join the festival, they said.
Kalinga Literary Festival director Rashmi Ranjan Parida said the event will now be held on February 14 and 15, 2026.
The decision to postpone was taken in view of the violence in Kathmandu over the ban on social media sites, a statement issued by the Bhubaneswar-based organisers said. It would be neither appropriate nor respectful to proceed with the festival at this time, it said.
