Nepal's Prime Minister Resigns After Violent Protests

By Shakir Husain

NEW DELHI, Sept 9 (Bernama) -- Nepal's Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday after violent protests spread in the country.

Oli stepped down as anti-government protesters targeted public buildings and homes of politicians following the deaths of 19 people in Monday's clashes with police.

The prime minister's private residence was one of the places targeted in various incidents of arson and vandalism on Tuesday.

The ruling Nepali Congress party's office was set on fire in the capital.

The Nepalese army used helicopters to evacuate ministers from their residences in the Bhaisepati area.

Flights at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport were halted in the afternoon for security reasons. Airline crews were unable to reach the airport and smoke was seen billowing in the area. However, the airport has not been closed, an official said in a local media report.

Curfew has been imposed in many areas of Kathmandu and other districts in Nepal to control the protests, which were sparked by last week's government ban on social media platforms. The protesters demands include government reforms and a crackdown on corruption.

This was Oli’s fourth term as Prime Minister. The 73-year-old first held the post between October 2015 and July 2016, and then from February 2018 to July 2021. In July 2024, he became Prime Minister again, succeeding Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Dahal’s 18-month-old government fell when Oli's Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist formed a new coalition with the Nepali Congress party.

-- BERNAMA