Nepal Protests Escalate: Houses of PM Oli, Ex-PMs Torched Amid Gen Z Anger
Protests in Nepal have turned chaotic on Tuesday, with angry crowds setting fire to the homes of top leaders and vandalizing key buildings. This comes after a violent clash on Monday that left 19 people dead from police firing during Gen Z-led demonstrations against the government.
Demonstrators targeted Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s house in Balakot, Kathmandu’s Bhaktapur area, as videos circulating online show flames engulfing the property. They didn’t stop there—former Prime Ministers Sher Bahadur Deuba and Pushpa Kamal Dahal saw their residences vandalized and burned too. Even President Ram Chandra Poudel’s house and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak’s home fell victim to the fury. Several other ministers’ houses also faced attacks, with crowds gathering outside them.
The ruling Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), or CPN-UML, headquarters and the Nepali Congress party office in Kathmandu Valley got defaced and set on fire. Local media reports say similar vandalism hit government offices across the country, adding to the widespread unrest in Nepal.
Despite a curfew, the situation in Kathmandu remains tense. Protesters have forced their way into Singh Durbar, the government’s main administrative hub. In Lalitpur district, Chief District Officer Suman Ghimire confirmed that former PM Dahal’s residence was torched, and crowds are rallying near ministers’ homes. "Protests have erupted in different parts of the district, and things are tense," he told reporters.
Over in Bhaktapur, Chief District Officer Namaraj Ghimire said authorities are holding back. "We’ve shown maximum restraint and haven’t ordered any shooting at protesters," he added, highlighting the delicate balance as Nepal protests intensify.
The spark? Outrage over the 19 deaths in Monday’s police action against Gen Z protests, which are demanding big changes from PM Oli’s government. This has cracked the ruling coalition wide open. At least four ministers have quit in protest. After the Home and Agriculture Ministers stepped down, Health and Population Minister Pradip Poudel and Youth and Sports Minister Teju Lal Chaudhary followed suit. They expressed deep regret over the excessive force used on young demonstrators.
Social media is buzzing with dramatic clips, including one showing a helicopter evacuating ministers from their official residence. There are unverified reports that PM Oli might be heading to the United Arab Emirates for medical treatment, but we couldn’t confirm this. Nepal’s Tribhuvan International Airport has shut down due to protests near the site, which could endanger flights, according to local media.
As Nepal’s Gen Z protests rage on for the second day, the nation grapples with anger, resignations, and destruction. Stay tuned for updates on this unfolding crisis in Kathmandu and beyond.
