Nepal Protests: Violent demonstrations erupted in Kathmandu after the government announced a ban on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, citing their failure to register with authorities amid a crackdown on misuse.
16 people were killed, and 100 were injured, Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told AFP. A day-long curfew was imposed in parts of the capital.
Nepal news: What we know so far about protests taking place
- “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,” Reuters quoted Muktiram Rijal, a spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office as saying. He mentioned police had instructions to use water cannons, batons and rubber bullets to manage the crowd.
2. Thousands of young people, including students holding national flags and placards, were prevented by police from marching toward the parliament building, where protests are prohibited, after officers set up a barbed wire barricade to block their path.
3. “Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the Gen Z, (people born between 1995 and 2010) chanted. TikTok, which was banned in 2023 for disrupting “social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials” and lifted last year, continues to operate without hinderance.
4. According to local media, protesters marched from Damak Chowk toward the municipal office, where they burned an effigy of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and tried to force their way through the municipal gates. Police responded by firing rubber bullets, critically injuring one person. The situation intensified as demonstrators also torched several motorcycles.
5. Yujan Rajbhandari, 24 a student mentioned, “We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here. We want to see change.” Another student Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she was protesting against the “authoritarian attitude” of the government, adding “others have endured this, but it has to end with our generation”. “There have been movements abroad against corruption and they (the government) are afraid that might happen here as well,” a protester Bhumika Bharati said, AFP reported.
6. A Nepal Police spokesperson said that security personnel are among those injured and are currently admitted at the Civil Hospital of Kathmandu for treatment, a report by PTI noted.
7. Military authorities confirmed that the Army has been mobilised to handle the situation.
8. Chief District Officer Chhabi Lal Rijal said in a notice stated, “No movement of people, demonstration, meeting, gathering or sit-in will be allowed in the restricted zone.”
9. The curfew consists of numerous high-security zones, such as the President’s residence (Shital Niwas), the vice-president’s residence in Lainchaur, Maharajgunj, all sides of Singha Durbar, the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar, and nearby areas, according to The Kathmandu Post.
10. Nepali artists, actors, and entertainers backed their support. Actor Hari Bansha Acharya took to Facebook and said, “Today’s youth do more than just think–they ask questions. Why did this road collapse? Who is accountable? This is not a voice against the system but against those who misuse it.”