Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned on Monday following the deaths of 19 youths in Nepal’s deadliest single-day crackdown on protests, as leaders of several parties and citizens held Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli responsible for the government’s heavy-handed response.

In the evening, the government announced the formation of a probe committee to investigate what happened in the capital, Kathmandu, and other cities of the country.

Late Monday night, Prime Minister Oli issued a statement, saying that the peaceful Gen-Z protest turned violent due to infiltration by certain elements, but the government was never negative to the demands of the new generation.

“Because of infiltration and our attempts to protect some constitutional institutions from arson and vandalism, a very unfortunate incident occurred today,” said Oli. He added that the protest had largely remained peaceful before turning violent, and offered condolences to those who died on Monday.

Oli also gave reasons for blocking social media platforms. He claimed that the government does not have a policy to ban the social media platforms but did not announce their immediate unblocking.

Earlier in the day, during a Cabinet meeting, some ministers from the coalition partner Nepali Congress including Health Minister Pradeep Poudel and others called for ending the ban on social media and engaging with youth, but Oli refused, a minister told the Post.

“How can we allow them to operate in Nepal without registration? We cannot compromise with social media,” the minister quoted Oli as saying at the meeting.

After the Cabinet meeting, Minister for Communication and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said that the ban would be lifted soon, but denied that the prime minister would step down. Some opposition parties are demanding the resignation of the prime minister from the streets, but Subba said that was not possible.

Earlier, youths took to the streets in various cities including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak protesting corruption and the ban on social media platforms.

The protest in the Capital, initially centred at New Baneshwar, kept escalating despite authorities imposing a curfew from 12:30 pm.

According to the Health Ministry, at least 17 died in different hospitals in Kathmandu alone–8 people at the National Trauma Centre, 3 at Everest Hospital, 3 at Civil Hospital, 2 at Kathmandu Medical College, and 1 at the Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj.

In Sunsari, 2 protesters shot during demonstrations in Itahari succumbed to injuries, taking the nationwide toll to 19.

Over 400 injured protesters are undergoing treatment across the country. Civil Hospital was treating 170, Trauma Centre 59, Everest (New Baneshwar) 102, KMC (Sinamangal) 31, Bir Hospital 10, and Patan Hospital 6.

Likewise, TU Tribhuvan Teaching (Maharajgunj) was treating 18, Norvic (Thapathali) 3, Annapurna Neuro (Babarmahal) 4, BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences (Dharan) 4, Gandaki Medical College (Pokhara) 1, Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences 3, Birat Medical College (Biratnagar) 4, and Damak Hospital was treating 7, as of Monday evening.

Ten of the injured have been discharged from various hospitals, according to the ministry.

Failing to contain the protests spread in several districts, the government has imposed curfew orders not only in Kathmandu but also in Birtamod, Itahari, Birgunj, Pokhara, Butwal, and Bhairahawa.

Besides lifting the ban on social media, Gen-Z protesters have put forward three other demands—the resignation of the prime minister, whom they say is unfit to lead; a ban on those leaders who have been tested and failed multiple times from returning to public office; and the establishment of an independent, transparent and impartial watchdog body similar to an ombudsman, to hold officials accountable for corruption, abuse of power, and injustice.

Nepal saw several people’s movements in 1950, 1990 and 2006, but never before had the state killed so many people in a single day. Still, the government has failed to issue even a word of condolence, consolation, or sympathy, even after the Cabinet meeting on Monday evening.

Before the meeting, Lekhak met Prime Minister Oli and submitted his resignation, according to an aide to Oli.

After the protests turned violent and reports of use of excessive force by police drew nationwide outrage, Lekhak’s party, the Nepali Congress, called a meeting of party office bearers to discuss the unfolding situation.

In the meeting called by party president Sher Bahadur Deuba, Lekhak announced that he would resign on moral grounds. “After such a massive human tragedy, I must resign on moral grounds,” Lekhak reportedly told the Congress meeting.

In the meeting, several Congress leaders criticised the police, the chief district officer of Kathmandu, and the home administration for failing to handle the situation properly.

Senior Congress leaders, including Shekhar Koirala, have called for the party to quit the government. Several other party leaders have also condemned the heavy-handedness of security forces and disproportionate use of force that killed college students and youths.

Meanwhile, Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa has said that Prime Minister Oli must take responsibility for the killings during the Gen-Z protest.

“The prime minister must take full responsibility for today’s incident. The unwanted and violent activities that occurred during the peaceful protest by the young generation (Gen Z) are tragic and unnatural,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“The extreme repression carried out by the government in the name of controlling the protest is condemnable and unforgivable. From no angle can this government approach be justified. This heartbreaking incident, in which many young people lost their lives unnecessarily due to the government’s insensitivity, has left us stunned.”

The main opposition CPN (Maoist Centre) also issued a statement demanding Oli’s resignation.

In the Cabinet meeting held at Baluwatar on Monday, Prime Minister Oli had given a briefing about the violent incidents during the Gen Z protests. Oli said there had been infiltration in the Gen Z protests.

While claiming that the government was sensitive to the protesters’ demands, the prime minister claimed that violence was incited by elements misusing the Gen Z generation.

“The Gen-Z group had taken to the streets in a positive manner. There was an expectation that the peaceful movement of the young generation would go well,” the prime minister said during the briefing. “We were also sensitive to it. However, it seems that the movement was infiltrated.”

He also mentioned during the briefing that the Gen-Z themselves had acknowledged the infiltration.

The Cabinet then decided to form an investigation committee.

Seven embassies call parties to exercise restraint

Meanwhile seven Kathmandu-based foreign embassies and the United Nations have expressed serious concerns over Monday’s killings of protesters by police.

“We are deeply saddened by the violence seen in Kathmandu and elsewhere in Nepal today, including the tragic loss of life and injury during demonstrations,” the embassies said in a joint statement on Monday night, adding, “We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims, all those affected, and wish those injured a swift and full recovery.”

The statement was issued on behalf of the embassies of Australia, Finland, France, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, and the US.

“Our governments reaffirm our strong support for the universal rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. We urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint, avoid further escalation, and ensure that these fundamental rights are protected,” said the statement.

Likewise, Hanaa Singer–Hamdy, the UN resident coordinator for Nepal expressed sorrow ovr the loss of life and injuries during Monday’s demonstrations.

“Heartfelt condolences to the families affected. I urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint and caution ensuring that citizens can safely and peacefully exercise their democratic rights”, she wrote in social media platform, X.