Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has resigned. He tendered his resignation to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during a Cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Monday evening.

According to a minister present at the meeting, Lekhak stepped down on moral grounds after 17 people were killed in Kathmandu and two in Itahari, while more than 400 were injured during Monday’s Gen Z protests.

Earlier in the day, Congress General Secretaries Gagan Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma demanded Lekhak’s resignation on moral grounds during the Nepali Congress office bearers’ meeting. Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba remained silent, but Lekhak informed the meeting of his decision before heading to the Cabinet meeting.

Lekhak was appointed Home Minister on July 15, 2024.

The Gen Z protests, which began as a youth-led campaign demanding accountability and reforms in governance, have spread across major cities. Demonstrations escalated in Kathmandu and other urban centres on Monday, where police opened fire on crowds, triggering widespread casualties and political pressure on the government.