Nepal Army to Take Control Amid Worsening Unrest

Darwin, 11 September — The Nepalese Army has announced it will step in to take control of the escalating crisis, accusing protesters of exploiting the situation to loot and damage both public and private property.

According to the BBC, the army issued a statement declaring its commitment — alongside other security agencies — to restore order. The directive will come into effect from 10:00 PM local time. The military also urged citizens to cooperate and stated that more details about the operation would be provided in due course.

Nepal’s Chief of Army Staff, General Ashok Raj Sigdel, has extended an invitation for dialogue to the protest leaders in a bid to find a resolution to the ongoing political crisis. He also expressed condolences to the families of those killed during the protests.

Meanwhile, police in Kaski district reported that 773 inmates escaped from a local prison following a violent mob attack. Another 127 prisoners reportedly escaped from the Tulsipur prison in Dang Province.

The unrest erupted last week after the government imposed a sweeping ban on major social media platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) — citing concerns over the spread of hate speech and misinformation. By Thursday night, 26 websites had also been taken offline, prompting thousands of young protesters to take to the streets.

Civil society representatives criticized the government’s actions, calling the restrictions a direct attack on freedom of expression.

On Monday, protesters — many of them wearing school and college uniforms — attempted to storm Nepal’s Parliament building in Kathmandu. In response, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas. Protesters set an ambulance on fire and blocked roads using various objects to delay security forces.

One protester told India’s ANI news agency, “The police were firing indiscriminately.”

Seventeen people were killed in Kathmandu that day alone, while two more died in the eastern city of Itahari. Over 400 people, including security personnel, were injured in the violence.

The international community has condemned the violent crackdown. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was “shocked” by the killings and called for a transparent investigation.

As violence escalated, a wave of ministerial resignations followed. The controversial ban on social media was eventually lifted. However, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli came under intense pressure — even from within the ruling coalition.

Gagan Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress (a coalition partner), publicly demanded Oli’s resignation, holding him accountable for the unrest.

According to The Himalayan Times, Prime Minister Oli, in his resignation letter submitted to President Ram Chandra Paudel, acknowledged the “extraordinary situation” in the country and stressed the need for a “constitutional and political solution.”

Despite efforts to de-escalate, protests and stone-pelting continued on Tuesday in several parts of Kathmandu and other regions. Multiple news outlets, including NDTV, The Kathmandu Post, and The Himalayan Times, reported the imposition of curfews across key urban areas.