Nepal's international airport shut, all flights cancelled as Gen Z protesters storm Hilton, torch party HQ
Hundreds of army personnel have been deployed at the airport, while at least five Nepal Army helicopters ferried ministers out of their official residences to safety.
- Sep 9, 2025,
- Updated Sep 9, 2025 1:33 PM IST
Nepal's political crisis deepened on Tuesday as Tribhuvan International Airport was shut down and all flights cancelled after escalating violence by Gen Z protesters gripped the capital, Kathmandu.
Hundreds of army personnel have been deployed at the airport, while at least five Nepal Army helicopters ferried ministers out of their official residences to safety.
Evacuation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli from Baluwatar was being planned, with Himalaya Airlines placed on standby for a possible flight to Dubai, officially citing medical treatment, sources told India Today.
The unrest spiralled as demonstrators stormed the Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu, smashing glass façades with stones before breaching the main gate. "The mob was momentarily scattered, but they regrouped quickly," a local resident told local reporters. Smoke was later seen rising from the grounds.
Elsewhere in the capital, protesters set fire to the Nepali Congress headquarters in Sanepa and stormed the Communist Party offices, tearing down the hammer-and-sickle emblem. Residences of top leaders—including Prime Minister Oli, President Ram Chandra Paudel, CPN Maoist Centre chief Prachanda, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba—were attacked, vandalised or set ablaze.
The protest erupted against corruption and the government's social media ban. However, police action left at least 19 people dead and over 300 injured on Monday. Security forces opened fire as thousands of school and college students rallied under the banner of a “Gen Z Revolution.”
Shekhar Koirala of the Nepali Congress has reportedly called on ministers from his faction to resign from the Oli-led government. The Gagan Thapa faction is still deliberating on its next move.
The Oli government initially tried to defend the ban, with the prime minister calling protesters “puppets” and “Gen Z troublemakers,” but was forced into a climbdown late Monday night. Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the ban on 26 platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X and YouTube, was withdrawn after an emergency Cabinet meeting.
The reversal, however, did little to calm the streets. Demonstrators targeted ministers’ homes across the country, with reports of attacks in Janakpur, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak.
Ministerial resignations continued to pile up. Health Minister Pradip Paudel stepped down Tuesday, becoming the third Cabinet member to quit after Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari. Both resigned citing moral responsibility for the killings.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa demanded that Oli himself step down. “Innocent youths have been killed unnecessarily. The prime minister must take responsibility for this suppression and step down immediately,” he said.
Nepal's political crisis deepened on Tuesday as Tribhuvan International Airport was shut down and all flights cancelled after escalating violence by Gen Z protesters gripped the capital, Kathmandu.
Hundreds of army personnel have been deployed at the airport, while at least five Nepal Army helicopters ferried ministers out of their official residences to safety.
Evacuation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli from Baluwatar was being planned, with Himalaya Airlines placed on standby for a possible flight to Dubai, officially citing medical treatment, sources told India Today.
The unrest spiralled as demonstrators stormed the Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu, smashing glass façades with stones before breaching the main gate. "The mob was momentarily scattered, but they regrouped quickly," a local resident told local reporters. Smoke was later seen rising from the grounds.
Elsewhere in the capital, protesters set fire to the Nepali Congress headquarters in Sanepa and stormed the Communist Party offices, tearing down the hammer-and-sickle emblem. Residences of top leaders—including Prime Minister Oli, President Ram Chandra Paudel, CPN Maoist Centre chief Prachanda, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba—were attacked, vandalised or set ablaze.
The protest erupted against corruption and the government's social media ban. However, police action left at least 19 people dead and over 300 injured on Monday. Security forces opened fire as thousands of school and college students rallied under the banner of a “Gen Z Revolution.”
Shekhar Koirala of the Nepali Congress has reportedly called on ministers from his faction to resign from the Oli-led government. The Gagan Thapa faction is still deliberating on its next move.
The Oli government initially tried to defend the ban, with the prime minister calling protesters “puppets” and “Gen Z troublemakers,” but was forced into a climbdown late Monday night. Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the ban on 26 platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X and YouTube, was withdrawn after an emergency Cabinet meeting.
The reversal, however, did little to calm the streets. Demonstrators targeted ministers’ homes across the country, with reports of attacks in Janakpur, Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak.
Ministerial resignations continued to pile up. Health Minister Pradip Paudel stepped down Tuesday, becoming the third Cabinet member to quit after Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari. Both resigned citing moral responsibility for the killings.
Nepali Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa demanded that Oli himself step down. “Innocent youths have been killed unnecessarily. The prime minister must take responsibility for this suppression and step down immediately,” he said.