Following Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s resignation announcement on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to Nepal citizens to ‘support peace’ in the landlocked nation.

“On my return from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab today, a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security discussed the developments in Nepal. I humbly appeal to all my brothers and sisters in Nepal to support peace,” said PM Modi in a post on X late Tuesday evening.

PM Modi has called the situation in Nepal as ‘heart-rending,’ and expressed his concerns for the reported 19 deaths of younger citizens during the protests in the country.

“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,” he added in his post.

The Prime Minister has pushed for re-establishing stability in the neighbouring nation and even had reportedly chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security to discuss the status of the protests and the current situation in Nepal.

PM Modi had visited Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Tuesday to assess the flood situation and announced relief packages, pledging ₹1,500 crore for Himachal Pradesh and ₹1,600 crore for Punjab.

This statement from the prime minister comes amid nationwide protests across Nepal, where Gen Z demonstrators are challenging the country’s deep-rooted institutional problems. A total of 19 deaths has been reported so far at the time of writing, according to Nepal’s local media.

Reports revealed that PM Oli, who has now resigned, had sought assistance of the Nepalese army to fly to Dubai, as several ministers were reportedly airlifted by helicopter.

The young protesters had set fire to the Parliament, the President’s Office, the PM’s residence, party offices, and senior leaders’ homes on Tuesday.

It has been told that the protests are aimed at combating the deeply corrupt institutions of the country with the immediate trigger being a nationwide social media ban on as many as 26 apps imposed on Monday. The ban on social media has now been lifted.

While this led to the closure of the Kathmandu airport, there are fears of military intervention in the state.

In response to the unrest, IndiGo announced late Tuesday evening that all flights to Kathmandu would be cancelled until 12 PM on September 10, citing the airport’s closure. Air India also issued a statement offering passengers with confirmed bookings to and from Kathmandu until September 11, on tickets issued up to September 9, a one-time waiver on rescheduling charges.