Protests against the government escalated into violence across the Himalayan nation on Tuesday, with officials confirming at least 19 fatalities and hundreds more injured, Reuters reported.
Demonstrators, primarily young individuals from Generation Z, set fire to the parliament building and residences of government officials, breached prisons, and compelled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign in the nation’s capital, Kathmandu.
Accounts indicated that protesters reportedly ignited the residence of former Prime Minister Jhala Nath Khanal, with his wife, Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, inside the Dallu property.
She sustained critical burns, as reported by The New York Times, and was transported to Kirtipur Burn Hospital, her family stated.
Violent protests commenced last week following the government’s ban on social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube.
Despite the ban being lifted, demonstrators declared their intention to persist until parliament’s dissolution, citing widespread dissatisfaction with the current political parties, The Associated Press reported.
“I am here to protest about the extensive corruption in our nation,” student Bishnu Thapa Chetri informed the AP. “The country’s condition has deteriorated to the point where there is no basis for us young people to remain.”
Oli, whose own residence was also engulfed in flames, stepped down on Tuesday. Dark smoke was observed rising from the Singha Durbar palace complex, the government’s primary administrative hub.
Authorities also verified that two correctional facilities in western Nepal were breached, resulting in the breakout of almost 900 prisoners.
The U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu has advised its citizens to refrain from large assemblies.
Nepal’s army chief, Ashok Raj Sigdel, cautioned that the military might “assume control of the situation” should the unrest persist, though he also called for dialogue with the demonstrators.
Digital has contacted the Nepal Government office for a statement.