Nepal: 1 killed, several injured in Kathmandu as massive youth protest erupts over social media ban

At least one person has been killed, and many have been injured in Kathmandu as the police cracked down on youth protesting against government’s corruption and ban on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Several thousands of Nepali youngsters took to streets in Kathmandu on Monday in protest against the government. They carried placards with slogans such as “Shut down corruption and not social media”, “Unban social media”, and “Youths against corruption” as they marched through Kathmandu, as per Reuters.

As thousands of protestors, many of them in school or college uniforms, marched towards the parliament, the police set up barricades to stop them.

However, as protesters breached the restricted zone and entered the parliament premises, the police responded with water cannon, tear gas, and live ammunition, killing one and injuring many of the protesters, according to The Kathmandu Post.

At least one person, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, died while undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, according to Mohan Chandra Regmi, the executive director of the Hospital.

Regmi further said that dozens of injured protesters were being treated at the hospital, Everest Hospital, and other nearby hospitals, according to The Post.

The authorities have imposed a curfew in Kathmandu amid protests.

“We have imposed a curfew which will remain in force until 10 p.m. local time (1615 GMT) to bring the situation under control after protesters began to turn violent,” Muktiram Rijal, a spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office, told Reuters.

Social media ban brings mass anger to fore

The immediate trigger of youth-led protests, being dubbed the ‘Gen Z protest’, is the government’s move to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and X, for not complying with the government’s policy. The AFP has reported that many such platforms have not been accessible in the country since Friday and have affected millions of users who rely on these platforms to run businesses, read news, and stay connected with friends and family.

However, the ban merely brought public’s anger against the government and politicians to the fore that had been there for a long time.

“We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here. We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal,” Yujan Rajbhandari, a 24-year-old student, told AFP.

Another student, Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she was protesting against the “authoritarian attitude” of the government.

“We want to see change. Others have endured this, but it has to end with our generation,” Tumrok told AFP.

Nepal has long had political instability where weak governments have ruled the country since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008. No government has completed its five-year term as coalitions often fail to hold and infighting leads to the collapse of the government. The public perception that the corruption is rampant has increased over the years.

“There have been movements abroad against corruption and they (the government) are afraid that might happen here as well,” protester Bhumika Bharati told AFP.