Fresh student-led protests erupt across Nepal, demand PM Oli’s resignation
Kathmandu (PTI): Fresh anti-government protests, led by students, broke out in several parts of Nepal on Tuesday, defying curbs on public gatherings, as demonstrators demanded resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.
Demonstrations were reported from Kalanki and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as the Chapagaun-Thecho area of Lalitpur district.
Protesters, mostly students, chanted slogans such as “Don’t kill students”, defying the restrictions on public gatherings.
In Kalanki, demonstrators reportedly burnt tyres to block roads from the early hours of the morning, according to eyewitness accounts.
The protesters shouted slogans such as “KP Chor, Desh Chhod” (K P Sharma Oli is a thief, quit the country), “Take action against corrupt leaders”.
The agitating youths also pelted stones at the residence of Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi at Lalitpur district, eye witnesses said.
Gurung had ordered ban on the social media sites.
The protesters vandalised the residence of former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' at Khumaltar in Lalitpur.
They also demonstrated in front of former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's house at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu.
Authorities have enforced curfews across Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts.
The Kathmandu District Administration Office announced a curfew from 8:30 am until further notice in the capital city.
Bhaktapur district administration also imposed restrictions from 8:30 am until further notice in Madhyapur Thimi, Suryabinayak, Changunarayan and Bhaktapur municipalities.
Lalitpur’s curfew applies from 9 am to midnight in several areas, including Bhaisepati, Sanepa and Chyasal.
Violent protests by youths against a government ban on social media sites rocked Nepal on Monday, with police's use of force leaving at least 19 people dead and over 300 others injured.
The Nepali Army was deployed in the capital after the situation deteriorated. The army personnel took control of the roads surrounding the parliament complex in New Baneshwor.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned later over the situation.
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Congress demands PM Modi to come clean on 'disclosures' on him made in Epstein files
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from Narendra Modi following “disclosures” in the Epstein files in the US that some “monsters” had access to him, and said the prime minister should come clean on the issue.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, said in a post on X, "The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation.
"The Congress demands that the prime minister personally come clean on these disturbing disclosures that raise serious questions.”
“Has he met Jeffrey Epstein? Or did he send someone to meet him? What did his conversations with Epstein involve,” the Congress leader asked.
The Epstein files are thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Venugopal claimed equally concerning was a report that while India’s foreign policy was changing dramatically, Prime Minister Modi was “dancing and singing” to the tunes of “tainted” individuals like Epstein to “benefit foreign powers”.
“People of India deserve an answer,” Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, "The prime minister himself must clarify.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also asked whether Modi was in touch with a "disgraceful" American such as Epstein right around the 2019 elections.
On Saturday, the BJP accused the Congress of spreading misinformation against Prime Minister Modi by "twisting" a generic email fragment of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein into a political smear, asserting that there is "zero evidence" of any direct or indirect interaction between the two.
The Ministry of External Affairs strongly rejected a reference to Modi in the investigative files related to Epstein, describing it as "little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal" that deserves to be dismissed with the "utmost contempt".
