Second Minister Quits as Oli Government Faces Criticism from All Quarters

Less than 24 hours after Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak stepped down, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari resigned Tuesday morning, September 9, citing the government’s “authoritarian conduct” during Monday’s Generation Z protests.

In his resignation letter, Adhikari, a Nepali Congress lawmaker, wrote that instead of respecting citizens’ democratic right to question authority and protest peacefully, the government responded with “repression, killings, and excessive force—signs of dictatorship rather than democracy.” He added that it had become unbearable to remain in office while the state treated the very generation meant to build the nation as if it were “at war” with them.

The resignations follow Nepal’s deadliest crackdown of youth-led protest. By Monday evening, 19 people had been killed—17 in Kathmandu’s New Baneshwar and two in Itahari, Sunsari—after police opened fire on demonstrators. More than 400 others were injured nationwide, overwhelming hospitals across the capital.

Capital Under Lockdown

The Kathmandu District Administration imposed an indefinite curfew inside the Ring Road from 8:30 AM Tuesday, banning all movement and public gatherings. Lalitpur followed suit, enforcing restrictions across Bhaisipati, Sanepa, and Chyasal. Similar orders are in effect in Sunsari, Kaski, Rupandehi, and Birgunj. In Rupandehi, the administration escalated measures from a temporary curfew to an indefinite prohibition order.

The government has also lifted its controversial ban on more than two dozen social media platforms—imposed last Thursday after platforms failed to register locally—amid mounting public and diplomatic criticism.

Global Condemnation

Embassies of Western countries in Kathmandu issued a joint statement expressing deep sorrow over the violence. “We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and reaffirm our strong support for the universal rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” read the statement, backed by Australia, France, Japan, Korea, the UK, the US, and later Germany and Norway. They urged all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalation.

Protest Turns Nationwide

What began as a youth-driven campaign against corruption and digital censorship has turned into a nationwide uprising. In Kathmandu, protesters stormed barricades outside the Federal Parliament, clashing with police who retaliated with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets as well as live rounds.

Journalists were also caught in the violence. Kantipur Television reporter Shyam Shrestha was shot while filming and remains hospitalised, while at least two other journalists sustained bullet wounds.

The protests spread beyond the capital. In Damak, Prime Minister Oli’s hometown, demonstrators pelted stones at his residence. Police fired several rounds into the air; ten people were injured, one critically. Pokhara saw an indefinite curfew after protesters surrounded the Gandaki Province Chief Minister’s Office. Rupandehi’s Butwal and Bhairahawa witnessed fierce clashes that prompted a late-afternoon curfew.

Political Fallout

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) warned of a looming “public revolt” and demanded Prime Minister Oli’s resignation along with fresh elections. The Maoist Centre echoed the demand, while Nepali Congress leaders pushed Lekhak to resign on ethical grounds. 

The crackdown has fractured the ruling coalition. Even within Oli’s CPN-UML, and Sher Bahadur Deuba’s Nepali Congress, dissenting voices criticised the use of lethal force.

Human rights groups denounced both the violent suppression and the social media ban, arguing that sudden, heavy-handed measures punish citizens and undermine democratic norms.