Nepal’s prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal — commonly known as Prachanda — resigned Tuesday amid nationwide anti‑corruption protests that have left at least 22 people dead and saw demonstrators storm and set fire to the country’s parliament building.
The unrest began after the government blocked access to 26 social media platforms, a move that ignited large demonstrations across Kathmandu and other cities. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas in clashes with demonstrators on Monday that left 19 people dead that day, authorities said. In his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel, the prime minister said, “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.”
Videos from Monday’s confrontations showed protesters, including people in school uniforms, with severe head injuries as crowds approached the parliament complex in Kathmandu. The social media ban was lifted after the violence, but clashes continued and spread on Tuesday as protesters targeted the residences of government ministers and multiple public buildings.
Damage extended beyond the capital. The provincial assembly in Pokhara in Gandaki province and the Siraha District Court in southeast Nepal were set on fire, officials said. Authorities reported at least a dozen government buildings burned across Rupandehi province, and fires and vandalism were also reported at the Gautam Buddha International Airport in the Rupandehi area.
Local news outlets were attacked as well. The offices of Kantipur were targeted on Tuesday, and both Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post said they were unable to update their websites because of the disruption. The widespread unrest prompted indefinite curfews in the southern city of Birgunj and the Dang district in the southwest; authorities said many protesters ignored those orders.
The country’s military was ordered into action. Chief of the Nepal Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel said in a public address that the army would be mobilized from 10 p.m. local time to control the situation and urged demonstrators to suspend protests and come to the negotiating table. "To lead the country towards peace from the present adverse situation, we appeal to the protesters to suspend their protest and come for dialogue," Sigdel said.
All airports across Nepal were closed on Tuesday, including Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, and airport authorities suspended international and domestic flights until 12 p.m. local time Wednesday. Nepalese army personnel were deployed to airport terminals to enforce the shutdown.
Public dissatisfaction with corruption has been rising for months. Transparency International polling cited by observers showed 84% of Nepalis regard corruption as a major problem in the country, a sentiment that helped fuel the mass demonstrations.
Authorities and civil society groups reported property damage to high‑profile residences and to public infrastructure. The parliament building, as well as homes of several high‑ranking politicians, were set ablaze during the unrest. Government officials have not provided a full accounting of arrests or the identities of those killed.
International and domestic reactions included calls for restraint from diplomatic missions in Kathmandu and appeals for dialogue from political figures, though protesters pressed on with demands for accountability and political change. The immediate political and security situation remained fluid on Wednesday as emergency measures stayed in place and investigators began assessing the scope of the damage caused during the unrest.
The resignation of the prime minister clears the way for political negotiations under the constitution, officials said, but it does not immediately resolve questions about who will lead the government or how the authorities will address the protesters’ corruption‑related demands and the legal and humanitarian consequences of the deadly clashes.
