Kathmandu: Nepal plunged into fresh political uncertainty on Monday as Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned after a wave of youth-led protests spiraled into one of the deadliest uprisings in recent memory. His resignation came amid intensifying calls for accountability following a violent crackdown that left at least 19 people dead and more than a hundred injured across the country.
The decision to step down was confirmed by Oli’s aide, Prakash Silwal, who acknowledged that the scale of the unrest had rendered the Prime Minister’s position untenable. For weeks, anger had been building over allegations of corruption, abuse of authority, and the government’s contentious attempt to ban major social media platforms, which critics viewed as a direct assault on freedom of expression.
The protests, driven largely by Nepal’s younger generation, defied curfews and filled the streets of Kathmandu with chants for change. Demonstrators clashed with security forces outside parliament and government offices, demanding the resignation of top leaders. The violence peaked on Monday when security personnel opened fire to disperse crowds, leading to multiple fatalities and a surge of outrage across the nation.
Oli, who had championed himself as a defender of Nepal’s stability, instead became a lightning rod for public dissatisfaction. Protesters accused his administration of ignoring corruption within government institutions while seeking to silence dissent through digital restrictions. The lifting of the social media ban, announced after the bloodshed, did little to calm tensions as the public insisted that genuine political change was needed.
The sudden resignation of the Prime Minister has left Nepal’s political parties scrambling to fill the leadership vacuum. Analysts warn that the crisis exposes deep fissures in the country’s governance, especially as it struggles to consolidate democracy after years of instability since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. Oli’s departure may ease immediate tensions, but it also raises new questions about who can lead Nepal through its most turbulent period in over a decade.
As the country mourns the victims of the unrest, an investigative panel has been announced to probe the crackdown, with assurances of compensation to affected families. Still, the mood on the streets suggests that the youth movement that toppled the Prime Minister will continue pressing for structural reforms and a new vision for the Himalayan republic.