Kathmandu: Violent protests led by Nepal’s Gen Z turned deadly as widespread arson, vandalism, and clashes engulfed the country, leaving government offices and leaders’ residences in flames. Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was forced to take extraordinary measures for his safety during the unrest, which erupted on September 9 following mass demonstrations demanding political reform.
Oli, chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist), was immediately moved under the protection of the Nepal Army to a military barracks in the Shivpuri forest area, north of Kathmandu. He reportedly spent nine tense days there as protests escalated, with his official residence in Baluwatar completely burned down by demonstrators on the second day of the uprising. Protesters also set fire to the Prime Minister’s Office while Oli was inside, prompting a helicopter evacuation by the army to ensure his safety.
After nine days, Oli left the barracks and relocated to a private residence in Gundu, Bhaktapur district, roughly 15 kilometers east of Kathmandu, though his exact whereabouts remain undisclosed.
The protests, spearheaded by young citizens born between 1997 and 2012, resulted in at least 72 fatalities, marking one of the deadliest episodes in Nepal’s recent history. In response, an interim government has been formed, with former Chief Justice Sushila Karki appointed as interim Prime Minister. She has ordered a judicial investigation into the widespread violence, arson, killings, and looting that gripped Kathmandu and several other districts.
