As the Nepal unrest continues, Minutes before Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned from his office, Gen Z protesters broke into Parliament. Agitators allegedly set fire to one of the buildings on the premises.
Reports also suggest that demonstrators set fire to Oli's residence in Bhaktapur's Balkot area and other senior leaders amid the ongoing protests triggered by a since-revoked social media ban. Oli resigned on Tuesday following violent anti-corruption protests led by Gen Z. His aide, Prakash Silwal, announced the resignation. In a letter to President Ram Chandra Poudel, Oli explained that he decided to step down due to the evolving situation in the country.
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Parliament, Oli’s Private Residence Set Ablaze
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Following the violent clashes, the authorities imposed multiple curfews across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur districts. However, people continued to gather in large numbers on Tuesday even after the ban was lifted late last night.
According to media reports, the Parliament building was set on fire on Tuesday at noon. Visuals from Nepal show huge flames and thick black smoke billowing from the vast parliament complex. Many protesters also attacked the homes of political leaders and the offices of major parties with stones and fire. Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s private residence was set ablaze, while former Prime Minister Prachanda’s house was attacked by an angry crowd. The protesters even set fire to the central office of the ruling Nepali Congress party in Sanepa.
Why Has The Ban Sparked Protests?
According to a report in the The Kathmandu Post, there are around 13.5 million Facebook users and Instagram 3.6 million users in Nepal. Many of the users are dependent on social media for their business, who now claim to have been affected by the ban. Moreover, the protestors have also alleged corruption in the government, misappropriation of powers and accused them of violating Human Rights, suppressing freedom of speech and expression.
The ban is also likely to disrupt communication for millions of Nepalese living in foreign countries, who connected to their families via social media apps.
“This is the protest by the new generation in Nepal. A new slavery system has been introduced in the nation. Nepali youth’s age is being sold, and high post officials are involved in misappropriation of powers. Human rights are being violated by the major three political parties: CPN-UML, the radical nationalist party; Nepali Congress, which has been supporting from the background; and Maoist Center, which has also remained silent over the issue. They also had banned TikTok at the time,” a protestor told ANI.