Police in Kathmandu Valley gradually resume operations after violent protests

Nepal's police force is gradually resuming operations in the Kathmandu Valley, with police stations and posts that were vandalised or set ablaze during violent anti-government protests earlier this week slowly coming back into operation, officials said on Friday.

Stations, beats and units damaged in the student-led unrest are gradually reopening, and Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have reappeared on streets and around posts across the Valley, the Kathmandu Valley Police Office said.

Dozens of police stations across the Valley were vandalised and damaged, though the exact number is yet to be confirmed.

“Exact data on such incidents is not yet available," SSP Shekhar Khanal, spokesperson of the Kathmandu Valley Police Office at Ranipokhari, was quoted as saying by MyRepublica news portal.

Khanal said police personnel are returning to their posts and resuming work with whatever facilities are available.

Locals are also helping rebuild the vandalised police stations in several areas of the Valley, he said, adding that community leaders have also urged the public to assist in repair and cleanup efforts.

Many police personnel had sought shelter in army barracks after coming under attack from protesters. The Nepali Army later assumed responsibility for national security to restore order.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli quit on Tuesday shortly after hundreds of agitators entered his office demanding his resignation for the death of at least 19 people in police action during Monday's protests over corruption and a social media ban. The ban on social media was lifted Monday night.

The violence continued even after Oli's resignation, with protesters setting fire to the Parliament, the President's Office, the PM's residence, government buildings, political parties' offices and homes of senior leaders.

According to the Ministry of Health, the number of people killed so far during the protests held on Monday and Tuesday has risen to 34.