Nepalese politicians’ residences set ablaze as prime minister resigns

Nepal was rocked by further violent protests on Tuesday, with the houses and offices of several prominent politicians set on fire and the country’s prime minister resigning following a wave of demonstrations that has left at least 19 people dead.

Unverified videos showed blazes at the residence and office of President Ram Chandra Paudel, over the parliament in Kathmandu, and affecting several police stations and party headquarters.

KP Sharma Oli earlier submitted his resignation letter as prime minister amid ongoing protests over a controversial ban on social media, which was lifted on Monday.

His predecessor Jhalanath Khanal’s house was also set alight, with the Kharbub news platform reporting that Khanal’s wife died in the blaze.

The unrest in Kathmandu occurred despite a curfew in several neighbourhoods. The army leadership, government representatives and police have called on citizens of the Himalayan nation to remain calm.

The demonstrations followed the government’s decision last week to block 26 online networks, including Facebook and Instagram.

Authorities accused the platforms of failing to register properly, after Nepal’s Supreme Court ordered in August that the online services be placed under state supervision to help combat the spread of misinformation online.

Critics say the government is using the measure to expand control over the platforms rather than merely to regulate them.

Thousands of people, mostly young people aged roughly 18 to 30, took to the streets across the country to protest the move.

In Kathmandu, the situation escalated on Monday when protesters tried to force their way into the parliament building. Participants in the protests also voiced concerns about rising government corruption.

In response, the government lifted the social media ban after a late-night crisis meeting of the Cabinet, with Prithvi Subba Gurung – the minister for communication, information and technology – confirming the withdrawal of the measure to dpa.

But the protests continued on Tuesday morning despite nationwide curfews, with thousands of angry demonstrators vandalizing and setting fire to the offices of major parties and several political leaders.

Although last week’s social media ban triggered the protests, the Oli government and its politicians had already been facing growing backlash on social media over allegations of corruption and nepotism.

On Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari announced his resignation, while local media reported that several other ministers in Oli’s Cabinet were planning to follow suit.

As of Tuesday morning, at least 19 people had been killed, and around 150 others injured, according to Nepal Police spokesman Binod Ghimire.

Nepal has around 30 million inhabitants. The country experienced a civil war from 1996 to 2006 and its centuries-old monarchy was abolished in 2008.