By Our Reporter
Kathmandu has rarely seen such fury. In just two days, Nepal’s fragile politics were overturned, streets turned into battlegrounds, and the army was forced to take charge of security after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli bowed out.
What began on September 8 as angry but peaceful protests led by Generation Z against corruption and the ban on social media spiraled into the deadliest unrest in years. Police opened fire, leaving at least 19 young demonstrators dead and hundreds injured. Instead of calming the streets, the bloodshed unleashed more rage. By the next morning, Kathmandu Valley was ablaze.
Protesters torched government buildings, stormed the Federal Parliament, and set fire to the iconic Singha Durbar that houses the Prime Minister’s Office and ministries. Flames licked the sky late into the night as the neo-classical structure, rebuilt after the 2015 earthquake, crumbled again to fire. The Supreme Court, the Attorney General’s Office, district courts, and even the anti-graft body were vandalized and burnt. The violence cut deep into the country’s political elite.
Prime Minister Oli’s residence in Balkot was torched. Sher Bahadur Deuba, 82, and his wife Arzu Rana were assaulted by protesters before being handed over to security. Former premiers Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Jhala Nath Khanal saw their homes set on fire.. By the day’s end, at least nine more lives were lost, including three police officers lynched in Koteshwar. Businesses and schools were not spared. The new Hilton Hotel, rumored to be linked to Deuba’s family, was badly damaged. Ullens School in Lalitpur was burnt. Bhatbhateni supermarkets in Naxal and Biratnagar were vandalized. Media houses too came under siege, with Kantipur Media’s headquarters attacked and forced offline, while Annapurna Media Network’s office was targeted. Party headquarters of Congress, UML, and Maoist Centre were also torched.
Videos circulated on social media showed protesters seizing automatic rifles from security forces near Singha Durbar and tossing bundles of currency allegedly taken from leaders’ residences. More than 2,000 inmates escaped from prisons across the country, exposing the total breakdown of law and order. By afternoon on September 9, it was clear the state had lost control. Curfews, police, and armed units could not stop the fury. That evening Oli resigned, citing Article 76(2) of the Constitution, saying he was stepping aside “to pave the way for the nation.” His departure created a dangerous vacuum, with President Ram Chandra Paudel left scrambling to prevent collapse.
Hours later, the army announced it would assume command of nationwide security from 10 PM. In a televised speech, Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel expressed sorrow over the deaths, urged restraint, and appealed for dialogue. President Paudel, as commander-in-chief, echoed the call, warning that democracy’s only path was talks, not destruction. International pressure mounted too.
The UN Human Rights Office called for an investigation into killings and demanded restraint from security forces. Perhaps sensing the moment, the Gen Z movement declared it would enter dialogue from Wednesday. Coordinator Purushottam Yadav stressed that looting and arson had no place in their campaign and urged supporters to remain disciplined. By late Tuesday night, with the army in command, order slowly began to return. Yet the scale of destruction has left Nepal shaken. The movement has forced a government from power, scorched symbols of the state, and announced itself as a new force in politics. Whether dialogue can now replace flames will decide Nepal’s next chapter.
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