At least 19 dead in Nepal after Gen-Z protests at corruption and social media ban
- Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, resigned after the bloodshed citing ethical responsibility
- Situation remains volatile. Streets across the nation remain tense under curfew
Monitoring Desk
Kathmandu, Nepal
At least 19 people were killed and over 100 injured in clashes with security forces after thousands of young people in Nepal took to the streets on Monday to protest against corruption and a government ban on social media websites.
A curfew was imposed in parts of Kathmandu after protesters entered the Parliament building in the capital and faced off against the police.
The protest began at 9am on Monday. The demonstrators gathered in Maitighar, a neighborhood in Kathmandu. It includes a busy road intersection, featuring the Maitighar Mandala monument — one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.
Growing dissatisfaction among the youth with corruption in the country materialized into the demonstration on Monday.
The government’s September 4 announcement that it was blocking several social media platforms, including Facebook, added to the anger. The government blocked 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. The ban came into effect after one week was given to these social media websites to register with the Nepali government. The websites had until September 3 to register with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
According to the government, users with fake IDs on these platforms are committing malicious acts and cybercrime, disrupting social harmony. About 90 percent of Nepal’s 30 million people use the internet, according to a 2021 NTA report.
As of 2021, about 7.5 percent of Nepal’s population was living abroad, reliant on platforms such as Meta’s Messenger to communicate with families back home. Many Nepalis have switched to Viber to communicate with their families and friends who are working abroad as migrant workers.
The mass movement against the corruption of government in Nepal led by the Generation-Z, has brought a surge of national emergency.
The other agendas of the movement include the demands for basic human rights, the freedom of speech, end to political corruption and societal inequity, resolving the issues that have long eroded public trust in Nepal’s leaders.
Protesters, who were mainly students, chanted slogans such as “Enough is enough” and “End corruption, not free speech”, holding placards denouncing political nepotism and advocating for democratic expression. The government’s response has been forceful.
Riot police, backed by the army, used tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets, and live rounds to disperse crowds attempting to breach Parliament’s barriers. Clashes in Kathmandu were especially deadly, but violence also flared in other cities, including Itahari, Pokhara, Butwal and many more
In the response of today’s violence, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, resigned after the bloodshed citing ethical responsibility. Meanwhile, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli faces mounting pressure at home and abroad, with critics accusing his administration of authoritarianism and failure to address the root causes of public discontent.
As of now, the situation remains volatile. Streets across the nation remain tense under curfew, yet youth groups continue to organize through alternative digital channels and offline networks. The death toll may rise as more information emerges from hospitals overwhelmed with casualties. The movement has already marked a defining moment: a collective voice demanding accountability, transparency, and freedom. Whether it results in genuine political reform or deeper repression remains uncertain. But one thing is clear, the youngest generation has forced its country, and the world, to pay attention.
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