Death Toll from Nepal’s Anti-Corruption Protests Rises to 72

Reuters

A Nepali Army soldier guards outside presidential building following the deadly anti-corruption prot

Nepalese authorities reported that the death toll from last week’s anti-corruption protests have raised  to 72, as rescue teams continue to recover bodies from government offices, homes, and other buildings set ablaze during the unrest, the Ministry of Health confirmed on Sunday, 14 September 2025.

The protests, the deadliest episode of political violence in Nepal in decades, were largely driven by young demonstrators who took to the streets of Kathmandu and other major cities early last week. The turmoil forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign on Tuesday.

Security forces responded with tear gas and rubber bullets as protesters torched state institutions including the Supreme Court, parliament, police posts, and residences of senior politicians, alongside private businesses.

“Bodies of many people who died in shopping malls, houses, and other buildings that were set on fire or attacked are now being discovered,” said Health Ministry spokesperson Prakash Budathoki.

The ministry’s previous count had placed the number of dead at 51 as of Saturday. The updated figures now show at least 2,113 people have been injured in the violence.

Following Oli’s resignation, former Chief Justice Sushila Karki was appointed interim prime minister on Sunday, becoming the first woman to lead the Himalayan nation. She has been tasked with overseeing fresh parliamentary elections scheduled for 5 March.

Karki announced that the government would provide compensation of 1 million rupees (approximately $7,100) to the families of those killed, and guarantee free medical treatment for the wounded.

Beginning her tenure from a building near the prime minister’s office—which itself had been set alight during the protests—Karki pledged to prioritise reconstruction efforts. “We must now engage in rebuilding the destroyed structures,” she told senior government officials, according to state television.

Source: Reuters



PUKMEDIA