Army troops fanned out across Kathmandu and other major cities early Wednesday, enforcing restrictions and restoring calm a day after violent anti-government protests swept Nepal, prompting Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to resign.
The Nepali Army, which took command of nationwide security operations on Tuesday night, imposed restrictions in cities including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur, citing concern over groups causing “severe damage to ordinary citizens and public property.”
Authorities ordered residents to remain indoors unless “absolutely necessary”, and streets were largely deserted as security personnel patrolled roads and fire trucks responded to blazes at government and private buildings set on fire by protesters on Tuesday.
The unrest erupted after hundreds of agitators entered Oli’s office demanding his resignation over the deaths of at least 19 people in police action during protests by Gen-Z youth against corruption and a government ban on social media, which was lifted Monday night. Protesters had also torched the Parliament, the President’s office, the Prime Minister’s residence, government buildings, and offices of political leaders.
The rapid descent into chaos shocked many, and Nepal's military warned against "activities that could lead the country into unrest and instability" in the country of 30 million people.
Soldiers issued orders via loudspeakers on the streets, as tanks rumbled past the carcasses of burnt vehicles and tyres.
The army warned Wednesday that "vandalism, looting, arson, or attacks on individuals and property in the name of protest will be treated as punishable crimes".
Kathmandu's airport is expected to resume operations later on Wednesday at 6:00 pm, manager Hansa Raj Pandey told Nepali media.
Demand for reforms remain
Ahead of an expected meeting with President Ram Chandra Poudel, Gen-Z protester Subhash said the recent violence might subside, but their demands for reforms remain.
“The PM of our country, KP Sharma Oli, ran away. We demand a good leader. We want new rules and regulations in the country, so youth can have more opportunities,” he told ANI.
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 protests, which began on September 8 in Kathmandu and other cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, and Birgunj, were triggered by the government’s social media ban and long-standing grievances over corruption, institutional favouritism, and lack of accountability. Nearly 5,000 young Nepalese leave the country daily seeking jobs abroad, a crisis that has amplified the unrest.
President Poudel has urged all sides to remain calm and resolve the situation through dialogue, emphasising that citizens’ demands can be addressed peacefully in a democracy.
'Call it off'
Nepali Army chief, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, has appealed for talks, in a video message issued late Tuesday.
"To provide the nation with a peaceful resolution, we urge all groups involved in the protest to call it off and engage in dialogue", he said.
The International Crisis Group called it a "major inflection point in the country's uneasy experience with democratic rule".
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged "restraint to avoid a further escalation of violence", his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi of neighbouring India said that the "stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us".
What happens next is unclear.
"The protesters, leaders who are trusted by them and the army should come together to pave the way for a caretaker government," constitutional lawyer Dipendra Jha told AFP.
Crisis Group analyst Ashish Pradhan echoed that, saying a "transitional arrangement will now need to be charted out swiftly and include figures who still retain credibility with Nepalis, especially the country's youth".
But with the speed of the youth-led uprising, it remained unclear who the young protesters will mobilise behind to lead the country out of the political vacuum.
People aged 15-40 make up nearly 43 percent of the population, according to government statistics -- while unemployment hovers around 10 percent and GDP per capita is just $1,447, according to the World Bank.
Several social media sites -- including Facebook, YouTube and X -- were blocked on Friday, after the government cut access to 26 unregistered platforms.
Since then, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive vacations have gone viral on TikTok, which was not blocked.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI, AFP)