Nepal unrest: PM Modi appeals for peace

Guwahati: Stability is of utmost importance, said Prime Minister Narendra on Tuesday while chairing a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on the Nepal crisis.

Modi attended the meeting after returning to the National Capital from the flood-hit Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Appealing for peace, Modi elaborated that stability of Nepal is vital to India.

The Prime Minister's comments come in the wake of the Nepal Army taking charge of security after 10 pm on Tuesday following violent protests.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli tendered his resignation amid the uproar cause by the government's decision to ban social media.

The spiraling violence has led to the deaths of at least 22 people.

"On my return from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab today, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security discussed the developments in Nepal. 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 wrote on X.

Oli had earlier spoken to the Army Chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel, urging him to take charge of the worsening situation.

Also Read: Nepal: Former PM Jhalanath Khanal’s wife killed in protest fire

General Sigdel responded that the Army could only stabilise the country if Oli relinquished power. Army sources also said the military is prepared to step in once Oli steps down.

Despite a series of resignations and the government lifting the ban, the Himalayan country continued to face massive violence on Tuesday.

The agitators torched the residence of Oli at Balkot in Bhaktapur.

Former Nepal Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal’s wife, Rabi Laxmi Chitrakar, was tragically killed after anti-government protesters set her house on fire in Kathmandu.

Rabi Laxmi was inside her home in the Dallu area of the capital when the mob set it ablaze. She sustained severe burns and was rushed to a hospital, where she later died.