Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel Has Not Resigned, Says Nepalese Army After Conflicting Media Reports
The students-led protests reflect the growing public anger with the political class over a range of issues, including ban on social media and alleged corruption.
Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel has not resigned, the Nepalese army reportedly clarified on Wednesday, a day after media reports suggested that he has stepped down.
This comes in the aftermath of Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigning, after hundreds of demonstrators entered his office shouting anti-government slogans.
Paudel on Tuesday, according to the local media, issued an appeal to all parties to exercise restraint and come forward for dialogue to resolve the crisis. "The country is going through a difficult situation," he was quoted as saying.
"As Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s resignation has already been accepted, there is a need for cooperation of all sides who love the country, people and democracy, to find a solution to the current stalemate," the President had reportedly said.
Nepal Protests
The situation in Nepal became tense as the protesters were seen capturing various government offices and vandalising them. The protesters also vandalised and set fire to the presidential office building.
The students-led protests reflected the growing public anger with the political class over a range of issues, including a ban on social media and alleged corruption, with demonstrators gathering at the heart of Kathmandu and elsewhere despite curfews and heavy deployment of security forces.
Protesters also torched the residence of former home minister Ramesh Lekhak at Naikap in Kathmandu, just a day after he resigned from his post, according to officials.
Demonstrations were reported from Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal, and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as Chyasal, Chapagau, and Thecho areas of Lalitpur district. Protesters, mostly students, chanted slogans such as “Don’t kill students”, defying the restrictions on public gatherings.
