Violent protests erupted across Nepal on Monday, leaving at least 19 people dead and over 100 injured in the country’s worst unrest in decades. The demonstrations, largely fueled by a government-imposed social media ban and widespread anger over corruption, saw clashes between protesters and police in Kathmandu and Itahari.
Protesters, many of them young people, stormed the parliament complex, setting fire to an ambulance and engaging in violent confrontations with riot police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. One protester reported that police fired indiscriminately, injuring several individuals.
The government’s decision to block access to several social media platforms, citing concerns about misuse and the spread of misinformation, has ignited public fury, particularly among Nepal’s youth, who heavily rely on these platforms for communication and information.
The ban, coupled with ongoing frustrations about corruption and lack of economic opportunities, appears to have been the catalyst for the widespread demonstrations.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned, taking moral responsibility for the violence. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli convened an emergency cabinet meeting to address the escalating crisis.
The protests, organized under the banner of “Gen Z demonstrations,” highlighted deep-seated dissatisfaction with the government’s perceived inaction on corruption and its failure to improve economic conditions.
International human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, urged the Nepalese government to address the underlying issues fueling the protests and to avoid a purely law enforcement approach. They stressed the importance of non-violent conflict resolution and condemned the excessive use of force.
The protests subsided in the evening, but the underlying issues of corruption and economic inequality remain unresolved.
