Social media ban was lifted on Tuesday but some demonstrations were continuing
Nepali Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli was forced to resign on Tuesday by angry young anti-corruption protesters who defied a curfew and clashed with police a day after 19 people died in a first day of protests.
Demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the country’s capital a day earlier, and police opened fired on the crowds, killing 19 and injuring 100.
The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, with demonstrators setting fire to the homes of some of Nepal’s top leaders and the parliament building. The airport in the capital of Kathmandu was shut, and army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.
As the protests intensified, Oli, 73, said he was stepping down immediately.
Protesters take selfies and celebrate at the Singha Durbar, the seat of Nepalese government ministries and offices, after it was set on fire during a protest against a social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu on Tuesday. (Niranjan Shrestha/The Associated Press)