Nepal in Flames: Protests Topple Oli, Neighbours on Edge. Nepalese diaspora appeal to Gen Z protesters not to destroy public properties as these belong to people of Nepal, not to Olis"
Kathmandu/Shimla/Dehradun/New Delhi, September 9, 2025 — Nepal’s capital is burning, its Parliament reduced to ashes, and its Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli gone.
The “Gen Z” protests that erupted over a sudden social media ban have exploded into a full-blown political implosion, leaving at least 19 dead and hundreds injured.
Himalayan Alarm Bells
The shockwaves are being felt across the Himalayan arc. From Himachal’s apple orchards to Uttarakhand’s hotels, from Ladakh’s construction sites to the tea estates of the Northeast, the Nepalese workforce forms the economic backbone.
With Kathmandu in turmoil, India’s northern hill states fear disruption in seasonal migration flows and a security vacuum that could be exploited.
The Nepalese diaspora in India has urged New Delhi to tread carefully, saying the crisis “should not be allowed to become a flashpoint that destabilises India’s border hill states and rivals cash in on protests as nobdy knows who inflame them.”
The Nepalese engaged in Apple belt have expressed concern over the security of their families back in Nepal.
But They have pledged support to the protests but regret losses to government properties, urging the youth not to target public properties as they belongs to people of Nepal.
India and China Weigh In
In New Delhi, diplomatic circles are abuzz. Officials privately admit the turmoil could “open space for external players” in a country already caught between China’s investments and India’s traditional influence.
China has kept its tone guarded, calling for “stability and constructive dialogue.”
Beijing has long courted Kathmandu through infrastructure loans and Belt and Road projects, while projecting Nepal as a “partner in Himalayan connectivity.”
Analysts in Beijing’s Global Times hint that “external interference must not derail Nepal’s sovereignty.”
India, however, stresses that Nepal’s crisis is a “domestic matter” but cannot hide its worry.
Only last month, the Indian and Nepalese armies held joint border exercises, projecting thaw in ties after Oli’s earlier pro-China tilt.
Rabi Lamichhane Released from Prison Amid Protests
Protesters freed National Independent Party President Rabi Lamichhane from prison, where he had been held in connection with the cooperative scandal, according to a report by BBC News Nepali.
Deepak Bohora, a leader of the National Volunteer Force (RSS), told BBC that Lamichhane had been taken to safety and was seen on the rooftop of a house under police protection.
Another RSS leader, Suresh Thapa (also known as Takaraj Thapa), live-streamed video showing Lamichhane waving to supporters from an elevated spot inside the prison compound.
Lamichhane, who previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, was later moved from his cell to the prison hospital as crowds gathered outside.
Prison administrator Satyaraj Joshi said Lamichhane was released after security concerns escalated inside the jail, reported the agencies.
“The crowd threatened to storm the facility. To protect other inmates, we questioned him, and when he agreed to leave, we let him go,” reported added quoting Joshi as saying.
He confirmed no other prisoners managed to escape.
Earlier, Lamichhane’s party had announced the collective resignation of its 20 lawmakers, condemning the government’s crackdown on protesters.
The RSS demanded Prime Minister KP Oli’s immediate resignation and the formation of an all-party civic government, declaring that the current administration had lost legitimacy.
The turmoil continued with reports of protesters torching Parliament and vandalizing leaders’ residences, while President Ram Chandra Poudel appealed for dialogue.
What the Media Says
The Nepal Times editorial bluntly stated that the “Parliament fire is not just about social media—it is a referendum on corruption and incompetence of a political class that has failed the youth.”
It warns that unless the political elite makes way for reform, Nepal risks “sliding into chronic instability.”
The Western press has been even more scathing. The New York Times framed it as “a generational revolt against kleptocracy,” while the Financial Times cautioned that “the Himalayan buffer is entering a dangerous vacuum at a time when great-power competition is sharpening in South Asia.”
A Region at Crossroads
India’s border states are watching uneasily. The orchards of Shimla and Kullu, the valleys of Uttarakhand, and the ridges of Sikkim and Arunachal depend on Nepali labour.
A prolonged crisis could choke economic lifelines and open ethnic tensions if migration patterns collapse.
As the Nepali youth rage on the streets of Kathmandu, the big question now is whether this will be the beginning of a new democratic awakening—or the slow unravelling of a state where corruption, poverty, and geopolitics collide.
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