GenZ protest in Nepal
Heartwrenching visuals have flooded social media as Nepal plunged into a total chaos, forcing President Ramchandra Paudel and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign. The turmoil erupted after Gen Z protesters poured onto the streets, accusing the government of corruption and censorship.What began as youth-led demonstrations quickly spiralled into mob violence. Crowds vandalised government buildings, torched offices, and attacked political leaders. The home of former PM Jhalanath Khanal was set ablaze, killing his wife, Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar.Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba, a five-time premier, was badly injured after being beaten by a mob. His wife, Foreign minister Arzu Rana Deuba, was dragged from her home and assaulted. “They kept shouting that we had stolen their future,” she told aides later. Visuals showed Deuba bleeding and shielded by security forces amid the chaos. The violence escalated after the government blocked social media platforms including Facebook, X, and YouTube, claiming the companies had refused to register under state oversight.
Within 48 hours of the ban, Kathmandu was transformed into a battlefield. Small armies of young men and women occupied public spaces, clashed with police, and chanted slogans such as “KP Chor, Desh Chodd” (“KP thief, leave the country”) and “Take action against corrupt leaders.” Finance minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel narrowly escaped lynching when protesters chased him through Kathmandu’s streets. In one viral clip, a young demonstrator jumps and kicks him to the ground, slamming him against a wall. With the unrest spreading rapidly and nearly all of Kathmandu under siege, Oli was left with no choice but to step down. President Paudel also resigned soon after.The protests, now dubbed the “Gen Z uprising”, have shaken the Himalayan nation to its core, leaving behind scenes of war-like destruction, deep political uncertainty, and a public outcry against corruption and censorship.
