Kathmandu, Sept. 9 -- Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned on Monday following the deaths of 19 youths in Nepal's deadliest single-day crackdown on protests, as leaders of several parties and citizens held Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli responsible for the government's heavy-handed response.

In the evening, the government announced the formation of a probe committee to investigate what happened in the capital, Kathmandu, and other cities of the country.

Late Monday night, Prime Minister Oli issued a statement, saying that the peaceful Gen-Z protest turned violent due to infiltration by certain elements, but the government was never negative to the demands of the new generation.

"Because of infiltration and our attempts to protect some co...