Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, the wife of Nepal’s ex-prime minister Jhalanath Khanal, died on Tuesday, say media reports, after protesters, led by Gen Z, trapped her in their home and set the house on fire.
The incident took place at their home in Dallu area in the state capital Kathmandu.
Ms Chitrakar was rushed to Kirtipur Burn Hospital but died during the treatment, say family sources.
Nepal’s prime minister KP Sharma Oli, whose own house was set on fire, resigned Tuesday as protests against a short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent and expanded into broader criticism of his government and accusations of corruption among the Himalayan country’s political elite.
Mr Oli’s finance minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, 65, was chased through the streets of the capital, showed a disturbing video. The minister, showed the video, was kicked and thrashed brutally.
Demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the country’s capital a day earlier, and police opened fired on the crowds, killing 19 people.
The ban was lifted Monday night, but the protests continued, with demonstrators setting fire to the homes of some of Nepal’s top leaders and the parliament building. The airport in the capital of Katmandu was shut, and army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.
As the protests intensified, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said he was stepping down immediately.
The demonstrations – called the protest of Gen Z – began after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.
But even after the sites came back online, the rallies continued, fueled by anger over the deaths of protesters at the hands of police and against alleged corruption by the government.
In particular, many young people are angry that the children of political leaders – so-called Nepo Kids – seem to enjoy luxurious lifestyles and numerous advantages while most youth struggle to find work.
In the wake of unrest in Nepal, India has asked its citizens to defer travel to the neighbouring country until the situation stabilises.
Air India, IndiGo and Nepal Airlines cancelled their flights from Delhi to Kathmandu on Tuesday amid the anti-government protests.
Source: NDTV
