By Rajiv Menon 
Kathmandu, September 10: The city woke up under a curfew, but it wasn’t the kind of silence people wanted. Soldiers were everywhere perched at roundabouts, standing on rooftops, rifles slung across their shoulders. What lingered in the air was the smell of smoke and the weight of grief. At least 19 people are dead, dozens more are injured, and Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli has stepped down.
Streets That Burned
On Tuesday night, Kathmandu did not feel like a capital city. Protesters smashed their way into ministries, lit fires in the courtyard of the Supreme Court, and hurled stones at police. Black plumes rose above Singha Durbar, the government complex. By dawn, whole blocks looked charred.
The spark was corruption, but the fuel was something deeper years of frustration among young Nepalis. “We are tired of watching them steal everything while we have nothing,” a student shouted before soldiers forced him away. Tear gas hung in the air. Some carried makeshift bandanas soaked in water to breathe.
Hospitals ran short of beds within hours. Doctors described scenes they hadn’t seen since the 2015 earthquake: blood-soaked clothes, families begging for oxygen cylinders, police officers lying next to teenagers they had clashed with hours earlier.
Oli Bows Out
Oli’s resignation came quietly. A late-night address, a few sentences, then silence. No celebration followed. For many protesters, his exit was the bare minimum. “He should have left years ago,” said a shopkeeper in Thamel, who had shut down for three days straight.
The bigger question is what happens next. Nepal’s political parties are notorious for infighting. President Ram Chandra Paudel will try to cobble together a coalition, but that process could drag on while the streets remain volatile.
Too Little, Too Late?
Only days ago, the government blocked Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram. Officials called it a measure against misinformation, but it poured fuel on an already angry crowd. Now the ban has been lifted, compensation announced for the dead, and a 15-day inquiry committee has been promised.
Few believe it will matter. Kathmandu has seen countless “panels” and “commissions” that went nowhere. “We don’t want another report. We want change,” a university professor said while queuing at a shuttered pharmacy.
Flights Turned Around
The unrest has spilled across the border. At least four Kathmandu-bound flights were diverted two to Lucknow, two to Delhi. For passengers stranded in India, confusion turned into anger as airlines like IndiGo and Air India suspended services.
Tourism operators fear worse is coming. Bookings were already thin; now cancellations are flooding in. “This was peak season. Now it’s gone,” a trekking guide in Pokhara told a local radio station.
A Different Generation
Nepal’s uprisings have usually been led by parties, unions, or monarchists. This one feels new. It is being called the Gen Z movement digital, decentralized, impatient. Many of those in the streets were children when the monarchy fell in 2008. They grew up on promises of a “new republic” but see only joblessness and corruption.
Videos of clashes spread on TikTok faster than the government could react. Protest leaders don’t wear suits, don’t speak in parliament, and don’t wait for anyone’s permission. That is what terrifies the political class.
India’s Shadow
India cannot ignore what is happening next door. The open border means instability spills quickly the diverted flights to Lucknow proved that. Delhi also has economic skin in the game from hydropower projects to highways and trade links. Any prolonged vacuum in Kathmandu could slow or derail them.
China, with its rail and road projects in Nepal, is watching too. The two powers have been jostling for influence here, and instability complicates both their agendas.
Waiting for the Next Spark
For now, Kathmandu is tense but quiet. Power cuts have started in some neighborhoods, shops are running out of essentials, and soldiers are stopping motorbikes at random. The government hopes the curfew will cool tempers, but everyone knows curfews only last so long.
The resignation of one prime minister won’t fix what ails Nepal. The protesters aren’t asking for small reforms. They’re demanding an end to a system they believe was rigged from the start. If politicians don’t listen, the fires that scarred Kathmandu this week may only be a beginning.
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- Rajiv Menonhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/rajiv/
- Rajiv Menonhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/rajiv/
- Rajiv Menonhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/rajiv/
- Rajiv Menonhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/rajiv/
Ananya Sharma