Kathmandu, September 10
The army has been deployed in the capital after widespread arson and vandalism left major government institutions in ruins.
Since Tuesday night, military patrols have been monitoring both main and secondary roads of the city, questioning passersby before allowing movement.
By early morning, the stretch from Padmodaya Chowk in Putalisadak to the gates of Singha Durbar resembled a battlefield.
A municipal broomer truck stood near the Traffic Police Office in Baggi Khana, attempting to clean the streets, but the destruction was too extensive. Inside the compound, rooms on the ground floor of the building were still ablaze.
Burnt vehicles and motorcycles were scattered across the road in front of Singha Durbar’s main gate, while smoke billowed from the ground floor of the Office of the Attorney General.
All documents inside the Supreme Court were reduced to ashes. By morning, fires there were still not fully extinguished. Smoke continued to rise from parts of the Attorney General’s Office, with gutted structures leaving nothing intact, a security guard stationed inside the Supreme Court said. He had remained there until late Tuesday but left when it became clear nothing could be saved. By morning, no security personnel were present in the court compound.
When a group of journalists tried to enter Singha Durbar, soldiers stationed outside denied them entry, saying permission had not been granted. From the western side, plumes of smoke could be seen rising from the main building and other sections of the compound.
The District Administration Office has been completely destroyed, with heat from the fires still lingering but no documents left.
Streets around Maitighar Mandala were littered with bricks, stones, and shards of glass.
The Special Government Attorney’s Office and the Kathmandu District Government Attorney’s Office, both established two years ago, had their windows shattered by stone pelting. Soldiers stationed at Maitighar were stopping pedestrians and vehicles, allowing them to move only after questioning.
Several auto showrooms along the Maitighar–Thapathali road were torched. Their windows were smashed and vehicles inside burned. Brands such as Mahindra and Hyundai suffered heavy losses. A newly opened showroom in front of the Kantipur Media Group premises was also vandalized.
Protesters had already set fire to the Kantipur Daily office building in Thapathali on Tuesday afternoon. Multiple floors of the building were damaged. By Wednesday morning, flames were still burning at the entrance of the ground floor.
Security forces stationed at Thapathali Chowk and the bridge were stopping civilians and allowing them to proceed only after checks.
A soldier on duty said curfew orders would likely be reimposed soon, and stranded civilians were urged to return home immediately. “Go home now if you are stuck. You cannot move back and forth repeatedly,” he warned.
Army personnel also stopped onlookers from gathering near the Prasutigriha road in Thapathali, asking people to avoid unnecessary crowds and move only if absolutely essential.
