After violent protests forced the military to step in. Videos showed ministers and their families clinging to the sling of an army helicopter as they were rescued from raging mobs in Kathmandu. The unrest, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media, has shaken the Himalayan nation and led to the resignation and flight of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

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On Wednesday, soldiers patrolled the capital and ordered people to stay indoors. The move came after days of chaos, when tens of thousands of mostly young protesters stormed the streets. The Parliament building was set on fire, and the homes of several top officials were attacked.

The mob torched the house of Communication and IT Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, hurled stones at Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel’s residence, and vandalised the homes of Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Biswo Paudel and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.

In one video, Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel was seen being chased and kicked by protesters. Another clip showed a mob storming the residence of Foreign Affairs Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and her husband, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. Mr Deuba was later seen bleeding from his face, sitting in a field before being rescued by authorities.

Army helicopters were deployed to evacuate ministers and their families. In one video, a helicopter carrying officials in its rescue basket hovered above a Kathmandu hotel as thick smoke rose in the background.

The violence also spread to prisons, where inmates set fire to buildings, broke down gates, and tried to escape. Security forces managed to block the attempt and shifted prisoners to other facilities.

The protests began after the government blocked Facebook, X, YouTube, and other social media platforms, accusing them of not registering with authorities. But the demonstrations soon turned into a larger outburst of frustration.

Many young people say they are fed up with the privileges enjoyed by the children of political leaders, often called “nepo kids.” While they live in luxury, most youth face joblessness. According to the World Bank, unemployment among young people stood at around 20 percent last year. Government data shows more than 2,000 Nepali youth leave the country daily to find work in the Middle East or Southeast Asia.