Kathmandu (Reuters)-Soldiers watched the Nepal Parliament and patrolled deserted streets on Wednesday, amid a touch of collecting in the capital Katmandu after two days of deadly protests against corruption forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign.
The revolt in the poor Himalayan nation was triggered by a ban on social media announced last week, but was revoked after 19 people were killed on Monday, when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowd.
The number of dead in the protests rose to 25 on Wednesday, according to the Nepal Ministry of Health, and 633 were injured.
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Nepal’s army said the relevant parts were coordinating to deal with the situation after the protests and solve the problem. The media also reported that preparations were being made for authorities and protesters to maintain conversations without giving details. Reuters could not confirm the information independently.
Most protesters were young people who expressed their frustration with what they considered government failure to combat corruption and increase economic opportunities, which made the demonstrations nicknamed “generation Z protests.”
The young agitators want former head of justice Sushila Karki to be the first-rate prime minister, Raman Kumar Karna, secretary of the Supreme Court’s Lawyers Association, told Reuters on Wednesday. Karki told CNN News 18 that he agrees to lead interim government.
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Burnt vehicles and twisted metal spread throughout the area around the parliament, where firefighters worked to put out a fire in the main hall, while the outside of the building was charred after the protesters set it on on Tuesday.
TV images showed young people cleaning some damaged buildings and removing the debris from the roads and areas near Parliament.
Several other government buildings, from the Supreme Court to the ministers’ homes, including Oli’s private residence, were also set on fire during the protests, with agitation decreasing only after the resignation.
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Armored vehicles kept surveillance on streets that were practically deserted, with closed shops and markets. Firefighters were involved in different places, while the road cleaning process was also underway, Army spokesman Ram Basnet said.
“We are trying to normalize the situation first. We are committed to protecting people’s lives and ownership,” Basnet said, adding that the prisoners had burned down Katmandu’s Dilli Bazaar before the army controlled the situation.
Katmandu’s main airport was also reopened on Wednesday, an airport spokesman said more than 24 hours after the suspension of flights.
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