Overview

• A nine‑hour meeting at the army headquarters produced no agreement on an interim prime minister, with former chief justice Sushila Karki floated, some Gen‑Z groups opposing her, and Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah backing her only if parliament is dissolved first.
• At least 20 young protesters were reported killed during police action, the army has taken a lead security role and outreach to protest groups, and legal experts say constitutional limits complicate appointing a non‑MP to head a caretaker setup.
• Over 25 prisons were attacked and roughly 15,000 inmates escaped during the unrest, with major facilities in Kathmandu Valley and other districts reporting mass breakouts and arson.
• K. P. Sharma Oli’s UML party condemned the destruction of public institutions including parliament, the presidential office and the Supreme Court, urged identification and prosecution of rioters, and questioned the timeliness and adequacy of the security response.
• Tourism and daily commerce have been hit hard, with hotel bookings down about 50% and border closures straining supplies and pushing up prices, while fact‑checks flagged a misattributed protest video from Indonesia and OSINT tests showed non‑Nepali accounts could vote in key Discord polls.