‘Social media ban was final trigger’: Nepali students in India voice support for Gen Z protests back home

As Nepali students across different parts of the world hold events in solidarity with the Gen Z protests in their home country, those pursuing various higher education courses in India too have taken to social media to support the movement, particularly to emphasise that this is a reaction from the youth frustrated with their government.

Students have highlighted videos that went viral under the hashtag ‘#Nepokids’, which showed the alleged lavish lifestyles of politicians’ wards. “There was a major anti-government movement taking shape on social media after those videos went viral. Multiple videos started surfacing from different parts of the country with social media users drawing attention to the stark contrast between the luxurious lives of politicians and their families and the dysfunction of the broader system resulting in sufferings of the common population,” another student said.

The social media ban was just the last straw that brought the youth onto the streets, the student added. “This is what we are all trying to portray on our social media handles so that the world knows that this is not just because social media was banned,” the student said.

On Tuesday, Gen Z protesters in Nepal set fire to government buildings, offices of major political parties, and the homes and offices of top political functionaries. This came after 19 young protesters were killed in police firing in Kathmandu. The protests led to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli resigning.

The protests have echoed in India, where a considerable number of Nepali students study. According to the All-India Survey on Higher Education, in the academic year 2021-22, approximately 13,129 Nepalese students were studying in India, which is expected to have increased over the past few years.

“There is major political instability in Nepal. In the past decade, the prime minister has changed multiple times. Amid all that, when the young generation is struggling for opportunities, nepo-kid videos aggravated the situation, and the youth decided to come to the streets. Many of my friends back home are part of the protest, and I support them,” Yogesh Rauniyar from Kathmandu, who is studying engineering in a college in Maharashtra’s Pune, said.

“The original idea was about a peaceful protest where most youngsters joined with uniforms. But when authorities showed insensitivity in handling the protesters, the protest took a violent turn,” he added.

According to Nepali students in India, the rage among the youth has been brewing for a while. “With limited opportunities, many youngsters are developing businesses on social media. Closing that was only the tip of the iceberg; the issue is more serious. With so many participating voluntarily, there was no leader for this movement. So, there was nobody to talk to the government and negotiate,” a Nepali student in India said.

Simran, a Nepali student in India who did not want to disclose her full name, said, “I am definitely supporting the youth from Nepal and agree with the cause. But the way in which the violence has unfolded is definitely concerning. Government offices have been burnt in this protest, which is definitely a huge loss.”