Demonstrators in Kathmandu have defied a curfew and broken into and set fire to the parliament building. They had earlier stormed the office of the Nepali Congress, the country’s largest party, and several prominent politicians’ residences.
Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli stepped down on Tuesday amid escalating anticorruption protests. The resignation came a day after 19 people were killed by security forces in violent demonstrations sparked by a social media ban.
Exuberant young people flooded the parliament complex upon hearing the news, waving their hands and shouting slogans as smoke billowed from parts of the building.
Oli’s government had lifted the social media ban after protests intensified on Monday when police used live ammunition and deployed tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators trying to storm parliament. The confrontation killed 19 people and injured more than 100.
“We won,” one protester wrote in large orange letters on a beige wall of the parliament building while another nearby flashed a “V” sign for victory with his fingers.
Although protesters remained on the streets after Oli’s resignation, witnesses reported no clashes or violence as security forces neither intervened nor tried to use force.
This unrest marks the worst in years for the Himalayan nation situated between India and China. The violence was worse than a 2006 uprising that forced Nepal’s last king to surrender executive powers and killed 18 people. Two years later, parliament abolished the monarchy.
Many Nepalis have grown increasingly dissatisfied with the republic, claiming it has failed to deliver political stability. In March, two people died when supporters of Nepal’s former king clashed with police during a Kathmandu rally demanding the restoration of the monarchy.
Despite Oli’s resignation, it remains unclear whether protests will subside as many demonstrators are demanding a complete government dissolution – a move that could further destabilise Nepal, which has seen 13 governments since 2008.