KATHMANDU: The whereabouts of Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli were unknown after he was forced to step down in the face of furious protests by young people, as mobs set fire to the parliament and Supreme Court buildings.

The outrage was sparked by a social media ban, which Oli’s government lifted after police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm parliament, and 100 people were injured alongside the 19 dead.

Organisers of the protests, which spread to other cities, have called them “demonstrations by Gen Z”, driven by young people’s frustration with a perceived lack of action to tackle corruption and boost economic opportunities.

But there was no let-up in the protests on Tuesday, which plunged Nepal into fresh political uncertainty.

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli said in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

Armed demonstrators set parliament, Supreme Court buildings ablaze; minister’s family attacked by protesters

An aide to the president told Reuters the president had begun the process of finding a new premier, but also summoned protest leaders for talks.

Paudel, whose offices were also set on fire by mobs, pleaded for “all parties to exercise restraint, to not allow further damage”.

Army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel, in a video address, urged the protesters to end the unrest and avoid further loss of life and property, and come for talks.

The call was echoed by neighbouring India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the “stability, peace and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us”.

The United Nations rights chief, Volker Turk, said he was “appalled” by the violence and called for talks.

Early in the day, Oli had summoned all parties, saying violence was not in the interest of the nation and calling for peaceful dialogue. He did not respond directly to the complaints of corruption.

But protesters continued gathering at parliament and elsewhere in the capital, defying an indefinite curfew.

They set fire to tyres on some roads, threw stones at police in riot gear and chased them through narrow streets.

Witnesses also said protesters had set fire to the homes of some politicians in Kathmandu, and local media said some ministers had been plucked to safety by military helicopters.

After he stepped down, gangs descended on and set fire to Oli’s house, and his whereabouts are not known.

The Singha Durbar area, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office and other ministries as well as Parliament House, and Oli’s private residence were also set on fire.

Footage circulating on social media also showed former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Arzu Rana, foreign minister under Oli, and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel being attacked by protesters.

Kathmandu’s airport remains open, but some flights were cancelled after smoke from fires affected visibility, airport spokesman Rinji Sherpa said.

The International Crisis Group called it a “major inflection point in the country’s uneasy experience with democratic rule”.

Published in Dawn, September 10th, 2025