Nepal Anti-Corruption Protests Escalate as Parliament Is Stormed and Deaths Rise

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by Callum Sutherland and Connor Greene

Updated: Sep 9, 2025 10:38 PM CUT

Published: Sep 9, 2025 5:14 PM CUT

Protest against corruption and social media ban continued across Nepal

A protestor holds up a Nepalese flag as smoke and flames rise from the Singha Durbar, the complex of various government offices in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 9, 2025.

A protestor holds up a Nepalese flag as smoke and flames rise from the Singha Durbar, the complex of various government offices in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 9, 2025.Sunil Pradhan - Anadolu via Getty Images

by Callum Sutherland and Connor Greene

Updated: Sep 9, 2025 10:38 PM CUT

Published: Sep 9, 2025 5:14 PM CUT

Nepal’s Prime Minister Sharma Oli has resigned from his position as deadly anti-corruption protests continue across the country, with at least 22 people now reported dead. 

Deadly clashes occurred between police and so-called ‘Gen-Z’ protestors, mostly centered in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu on Monday, which were ignited after a government ban on social media blocked 26 platforms for users in the country.

The country's parliament building was set on fire by protesters, along with the homes of several high-ranking politicians. The wife of Nepal’s former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal, Ravi Laxmi Chitrakar, was reportedly inside their house when it was set on fire and suffered severe burns.

Public discontent towards the Nepalese government has been rising to Monday’s eruption of protests, with 84% of the population believing that corruption is a big problem, according to corruption watchdog Transparency International. 

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Oli resigned following Monday’s violence, which saw 19 people killed by police, who used rubber bullets and tear gas against crowds.

“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” said Oli in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel.

Protest Against Corruption And Killings In Nepal

Demonstrators protesting corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sep. 9 Safal Prakash Shrestha -NurPhoto via Getty Images

Videos from Monday’s violence show protestors, some even in school uniforms, sustaining serious head injuries as demonstrators approached the parliament building. 

The social media ban was also lifted in response to Monday’s deadly protests. Despite both measures, the situation on Tuesday continued to escalate as protestors began targeting the residences of government ministers in Kathmandu, as well as the parliament building. 

Damage to public buildings and businesses continued throughout Tuesday, spreading beyond Kathmandu, where the majority of Monday’s protests took place. 

The provincial assembly for the Gandaki province in Pokhara, Nepal’s second largest city, was set on fire, as well as the Siraha District Court in southeast Nepal, and at least a dozen government buildings across the Rupandehi province and the Gautam Buddha International Airport in the area. 

Drone Footage Shows Protest Fires Sweeping Kathmandu Valley In Nepal

An aerial shot of demonstrators setting fires across Kathmandu, including the Parliament building, on September 09, 2025. Ambir Tolang - NurPhoto via Getty Images

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Over 200 people were brought to Nepal’s Civil Service Hospital on Tuesday, according to the hospital. Three have died, bringing the death toll up to 22.

Volker Türk, the United Nations’s human rights chief, has called for an investigation into the deaths of protestors and all “reports of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by the security forces.”

The embassies of 10 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany and Switzerland, issued a statement on Monday in support of the “universal rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression” in Nepal.

The offices of local news outlet Kantipur were also targeted on Tuesday, leaving the network, as well as local media outlet the Kathmandu Post, unable to post updates on their websites.

An indefinite curfew was imposed in the city of Birgunj in southern Nepal, as well as for the entire Dang district in the southwest. However, protestors have disregarded the curfews, as did those in Kathmandu on Monday. 

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In a public address issued Tuesday evening, Chief of the Nepal Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel said that the army would be mobiliZed from 10 p.m. local time to control the situation. “To lead the country towards peace from the present adverse situation, we appeal to the protesters to suspend their protest and come for dialogue,” said Sigdel.

Soldiers and armed police were reported to be roaming some streets in Kathmandu early Tuesday morning following the announcement.

All airports across Nepal were also shut down on Tuesday, including Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, the country’s largest airport. Nepalese Army Personnel has been deployed to the airport, with all international and domestic flights suspended until 12 p.m. local time Wednesday.