Nepal protests updates: PM Oli resigns, parliament torched, airport shut

This live page is now closed.

For more on Nepal’s historic protests today, click here. For an explainer on the anger against “nepo kids”, click here.

Photos are here while you can watch the latest video here.

Thanks for joining us.

This live page is closing soon, but before it does, here are today’s top developments:

• Mass protests have continued for a second day over anger against the government following the killing of 19 demonstrators on Monday.
• Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned to allow Nepal to “take further steps towards a political solution and resolution of the problems”.
• Demonstrators have set the parliament building and homes and offices of prominent politicians and parties ablaze in anger.
• President Ramchandra Paudel calls for national unity amid the violent protests that have targeted government buildings and residences.
• India has tightened security along its border with Nepal in light of the mass anticorruption protests, India’s ANI news agency reports.
• The Nepali army has issued a public appeal to protesters to remain calm and exercise restraint, The Himalayan Times reports.

Pabit Tandukar was shouting slogans against Nepal’s government outside the country’s parliament building in the capital Kathmandu when he felt sharp pain cutting through his leg.

The 22-year-old university student was taken to the trauma centre of Kathamandu’s Bir Hospital on Monday, where doctors confirmed he had been hit by a live copper bullet.

“We were there for a peaceful protest. They were initially firing tear gas at us and we were pushing back. Suddenly, I was shot,” Tandukar told Al Jazeera.

At least 19 protesters were killed, and hundreds – like Tandukar – were injured after security forces fired live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas shells at youth agitators on Monday, after what began as a peaceful protest descended into violent clashes with law enforcement officers.

The killings have pushed Nepal into a political crisis. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned from the position on Monday evening, claiming moral responsibility, and on Tuesday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned.

Read more here.

President Ramchandra Paudel has called for national unity amid violent protests that have targeted government buildings and residences.

“I urge everyone, including the protesting citizens, to cooperate for a peaceful resolution of the country’s difficult situation,” Paudel said in a statement.

“I appeal to all parties to exercise restraint, to not allow further damage to the country, and to come to talks,” the statement added.

Paudel’s statement comes after protesters set fire to his office, the parliament building and a number of other homes of politicians.

The Nepali army has issued a public appeal to citizens protesting to remain calm and exercise restraint, The Himilayan Times reports.

In a statement by the Directorate of Public Relations and Information, the army expressed deep sorrow for the loss of lives from the protests and the property damage.

“Considering the current situation, it is our shared responsibility to prevent further escalation, preserve social harmony, and maintain national unity. The Nepali Army calls upon all youth and citizens to act with restraint,” the appeal stated.

Nepal has had 14 governments since 2008, not one of which has completed a full five-year term. Here’s a timeline of major events:

1951: Before 1951, Nepal was ruled by monarchs from various dynasties, including the Ranas, who governed through a system where the prime minister was hereditary. The Ranas were overthrown in 1951 by ascendant pro-democracy movements and a parliamentary democracy was established.

1961-1990: King Mahendra banned political parties in 1961 and imposed a return to a centralised system of government that consolidated his power, known as “Panchayat”. People’s frustration with the system grew and reached a peak in 1990 when some parties launched a campaign and staged demonstrations to restore multi-party democracy. The campaign, popularly known as the “People’s Movement” compelled King Birendra to lift the ban on political parties, ending the “Panchayat” system.

1996: Nepal’s left-wing Maoists started a violent bid to replace the royal parliamentary system with a people’s republic. That led to a decade-long civil war and caused more than 17,000 deaths.

2006-2015: Civilians protested against the monarchy in 2006, leading to its abolition in 2008, making Nepal a federal democratic republic. King Gyanendra, the last king, lives as a commoner in the capital Kathmandu. In 2015, Nepal adopted a new constitution.

2015-Present: KP Sharma Oli took over as prime minister of Nepal for the first time in October 2015, and his government lasted for about a year. He was elected for the second and third time, successively, in 2018 and 2021 and for a fourth time in 2024.

Mohna Ansari, a human rights lawyer and former member of Nepal’s Human Rights Commission, says the situation has been “very critical” since Monday with the killings of 19 people.

“The situation is very volatile. … The army and other security heads issued a statement just a while ago, appealing the people to maintain peace and harmony,” Ansari told Al Jazeera.

When he was sworn in for his fourth term in July last year, the 73-year-old leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), or CPN-UML, promised to fight corruption and poverty in the landlocked country wedged between India and China.

From a teenage revolutionary imprisoned for 14 years to the country’s highest office, Oli has been a central player during the political and economic uncertainty that has beset Nepal since protests led to the abolition of its monarchy in 2008.

Born in 1952 in eastern Nepal, Oli’s early life was marked by hardship. His mother died of smallpox when he was four, and his family was displaced by floods, forcing him to live with his grandparents.

He entered politics as a young activist aligned with communist ideology and was imprisoned in the 1970s and 1980s for opposing the monarchy, an experience that shaped his political outlook and public image.

Oli first assumed the premiership in 2015 at a time when a blockade of its border crossings with India left the country short of fuel and medicine for several months.

Considered by some political watchers to be closer to China, Oli adopted a tougher line with India in his first term as he whipped up nationalist sentiment while altering Nepal’s map by including disputed territories controlled by India.

As reported, protesters have set fire to a building housing the offices of Nepal’s largest media group, Kantipur Publications, which publishes, among other things, The Kathmandu Post.

In a post on X, the newspaper said that due to the attack, its servers were down, hindering its ability to post articles on its website.

“We are posting all our reporting and updates on our social media platforms. Thanks for supporting our work,” The Kathmandu Post wrote.

Police in India’s Uttarakhand state say they are strengthening security along the border with Nepal in light of the mass anticorruption protests, India’s ANI news agency reports.

The police, paramilitary and armed forces are conducting patrols along the Kali River and other sensitive areas under the jurisdiction of the border police, they said.

Earlier, India’s Ministry for External Affairs said it was “closely monitoring” the escalating situation in Nepal.

Defying a curfew, protesters have stormed the office of Nepal’s largest party and set fire to the residences of prominent politicians, a day after 19 people were killed in antigovernment protests.

Watch our report below:

Protesters have set fire to a building in Kathmandu that houses the country’s largest media house, Kantipur Publications, India’s The Hindu newspaper reports.

Kantipur Publications publishes The Kathmandu Post, which is housed in the building along with other enterprises and offices.

The Kathmandu Post website was not operating when this post was published.

Let’s bring you up to speed.

• PM KP Sharma Oli has resigned to allow Nepal to “take further steps towards a political solution and resolution of the problems”.
• President Ramchandra Paudel has accepted Oli’s resignation and begun the process of choosing a new leader.
• Meanwhile, mass protests over alleged corruption and nepotism continue despite an indefinite curfew in Kathmandu.
• Angry demonstrators torch the parliament building and the homes and offices of prominent politicians and parties.
• Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah has called for restraint from the protesters, saying: “Your murderer has resigned.”

The ongoing unrest is the worst in years in the Himalayan nation, which is wedged between India and China.

It is also far more violent than in 2006 when an uprising forced Nepal’s last king to give up his executive powers. At least 18 people were killed during that violence. Two years later, the parliament voted to abolish the monarchy.

Over the years, many Nepalis have grown frustrated with the republic, saying it has failed to bring about political stability. In March, two people were killed when supporters of Nepal’s former king clashed with police during a rally in Kathmandu to demand the restoration of the monarchy.

Even though Oli has resigned, it is unclear whether the protesters would stop demonstrating as many of them are also calling for the government to dissolve. Such a move could create further instability in Nepal, which has had 13 governments since 2008.

Paudel has officially accepted Oli’s resignation after mass anticorruption protests, The Himalayan Times reports.

Oli’s resignation earlier today came as Gen Z protesters continue to demand accountability from the government for corruption and police violence that resulted in the killings of 19 people and injuries to more than 100.

Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah has called for restraint from the protesters, saying, “Your murderer has resigned.”

In a post on Facebook, Shah said the “loss” of the country’s resources was a collective one and urged people not to destroy public property.

“[We] need to be restrained now. Now, your generation will have to lead the country. Be ready! Also, be ready to discuss with the army chief,” Shah posted.