Kathmandu: Nepal is literally burning on the second day of the ‘Gen Z revolution’.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was forced to resign on Tuesday amid mounting pressure after deadly and violent protests left at least 20 people dead as the agitation spread across the Himalayan nation.
“I have resigned from the post of prime minister with effect from today… in order to take further steps towards a political solution and resolution of the problems,” Oli said.
Defying a curfew which was announced on Monday in Kathmandu and several other cities, angry protesters, led mainly by young Nepalis, returned to the streets to express their frustration over corruption, unemployment and a controversial ban on social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube and X.
Shortly before PM Oli quit, protesters breached Nepalese Parliament and set ablaze one of the buildings on the premises.
Visuals and video clips were shared on social media showing grey and black smoke arising in the area as hundreds of protesters stormed Parliament.
BIG BREAKING
Nepal Parliament gutted in Kathmandu by thousands of youth protestors. pic.twitter.com/tC4BLBbGY0
— Frontalforce 🇮🇳 (@FrontalForce) September 9, 2025
Even as the building was on fire, protesters in huge numbers, brandishing flags and shouting slogans, continued to storm the Parliament premises.
Singha Durbar breached
Demonstrators also breached the iconic Singha Durbar, setting on fire the western gate as they forced their way into the central administrative complex of Nepal.
Chants of ‘KP chor, desh chhod’, ‘Take action against corrupt leaders’ rang across Kathmandu as the volume of protesters, alleging that the government ‘murdered’ innocent civilians, swelled.
Though the government tried conciliatory efforts on Monday evening, including revoking the ban on 26 social media platform and announcing all-party talks, those did little to calm the Gen Z protesters. They set fire to Oli’s residence in Bhaktapur’s Balkot area, and also torched homes of other senior leaders including that of Home minister Ramesh Lekhak who resigned a day earlier.
Finance minister’s plight
A video surfaced on social media showing Finance minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel being chased by angry protesters, kicked and thrashed on the street.
Dozens of people are seen chasing Paudel, as the minister runs for his life to escape the mob. He is seen being kicked by one person, while join in the assault.
Nepal finance minister hetting flying kick #nomorecorruption #GenZProtest #genznepal pic.twitter.com/m4MuVmc6nF
— Manic (🍊,💊) (@WizardManic) September 9, 2025
All flights cancelled
With anger boiling over and protesters in a violent mood, authorities took no chances and cancelled all inward and outward flights, including Air India and IndiGo, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) over security concerns.
One of the Air India flights reportedly returned to Delhi after smoke was noticed near the Kathmandu airport during final approach.
Hansa Raj Pandey, general manager at TIA, however, asserted that the “airport is not closed”.
‘Shelter in current residence, defer travel’, advises MEA
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday advised Indian nationals to defer travel to Nepal until the situation stabilises in that country.
“In view of the developing situation in Nepal, Indian citizens are advised to defer travel there until the situation has stabilised. Indian citizens presently in Nepal are advised to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution. They are also advised to follow local safety advisories from Nepal authorities as well as the Embassy of India in Kathmandu. In case of any assistance required, please call the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, on the following helpline numbers: 1. +977 9808602881 (WhatsApp call also); 2. +977 9810326134 (WhatsApp call also),” the advisory stated.
