A day after the brutal government crackdown left over 19 dead and hundreds injured, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday afternoon following widespread vandalism and arson by the anti-corruption protesters. Amid this, the Nepali Army said it would deploy its troops on the streets from 10 pm on Tuesday to control the situation from escalating further.

Issuing a statement on Tuesday evening, the Nepali Army has appealed to protesters to stop—or not engage in—looting, arson, and vandalism.

“Taking undue advantage of the current critical situation, some groups have been causing severe damage to civilians and public property, engaging in looting and arson,” the statement reads. “Therefore, the Nepali Army once again urges everyone not to engage in or allow such activities.”

The statement further reads, “If these actions are not stopped, the Nepali Army, along with all other security agencies, will remain firmly committed to controlling the situation starting from Tuesday 10 pm to fulfill their primary duty of protecting Nepal and Nepalis. We also sincerely appeal to all citizens for their cooperation.”

The Army also stated that it will reassess the security situation and issue further updates accordingly.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chief of Army Staff Ashok Raj Sigdel had called on the protesting side to come to the negotiating table. Emphasizing the need to peacefully resolve the current critical situation, Sigdel urged them in a video message to suspend their protest programmes and engage in dialogue.

After the security situation of the country spiraled out of control and several public and private institutions were attacked by the angry mob and protesters on Monday, the Chief of Army Staff made an appeal to the protesters through a televised address.

Earlier, President Ramchandra Paudel had also made a similar kind of call to the protesters.

Expressing deep sorrow over the irreparable losses during the movement, Sigdel stated that the country had already incurred significant loss of lives and property and it is everyone’s responsibility to prevent further damage and to maintain peace, security, and harmony.

“Since it is our collective duty to ensure and protect security, the protest programmes should be suspended and the parties should come to the negotiation table,” he said.