Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday voiced sorrow and concern over the escalating turmoil in Nepal, where at least 22 people have been killed amid mass protests that forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. Calling the violence “heart-rending,” PM Modi stressed that Nepal’s “stability, peace and prosperity” are of the utmost importance to India and appealed directly to Nepali citizens to maintain calm in the wake of the unrest.
“The violence in Nepal is heart-rending. I am anguished that many young people have lost their lives. The stability, peace, and prosperity of Nepal are of utmost importance to us. I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace,” PM Modi posted on X. He added that India’s Cabinet Committee on Security had reviewed the situation closely, underlining its strategic importance for New Delhi.
The crisis deepened on Tuesday as Prime Minister Oli tendered his resignation to President Ramchandra Paudel, a day after protests turned deadly when police used rubber bullets and tear gas against demonstrators trying to storm parliament. Twenty people were killed and nearly 100 were injured in the clashes. Despite an indefinite curfew and last week’s sweeping ban on social media—which has since been lifted—the protests have shown little sign of abating.
Organised largely by young Nepalis and dubbed the “Gen Z demonstrations,” the protests accuse Oli’s government of entrenched corruption, worsening inequality, and neglect of economic opportunities for youth. According to the World Bank, over 20% of Nepalis still live in poverty, and youth unemployment is above 22%. Demonstrators defied curfew orders, torching tyres, throwing stones at police, and even setting parts of the Singha Durbar administrative complex and Oli’s residence on fire. Several ministers had to be evacuated by military helicopters, and Kathmandu’s international airport briefly suspended operations due to smoke from burning buildings.
Following Oli’s resignation, jubilant youths broke into the parliament compound, painting “We won” in bold letters on a wall and waving flags, though protest leaders urged restraint, emphasising that the movement was about accountability, not destruction. President Paudel has begun consultations with political parties and protest leaders to form a new government, but the crisis has plunged Nepal into yet another cycle of uncertainty.
Nepal has faced chronic instability since abolishing its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, cycling through 14 governments in just 16 years, none of which managed to complete a full five-year term. Oli, who resigned on Tuesday at the age of 73, had only returned to office for his fourth term last year.
For India, which shares deep historical and cultural ties with Nepal but remains wary of Beijing’s growing foothold there, the unrest carries heavy strategic implications. New Delhi has consistently sought a stable Nepal as a reliable partner in South Asia, and Modi’s swift remarks reflect both concern for Nepali citizens and India’s broader regional calculus.
