Nepal Gen Z Protests Highlights: Gen-Z protests erupt in Nepal again, curfew imposed

Fresh unrest gripped Nepal’s Bara district on Thursday as protesters clashed with security forces for the second day, defying a daytime curfew and intensifying pressure on authorities. Demonstrators began assembling at Simara Chowk from 11 am, hours before the administration enforced a 1 pm to 8 pm curfew to prevent further violence. But the order failed almost immediately, with crowds surging into the streets and confronting police.

According to Khabarhub quoted by PTI, officers fired six tear gas shells and two rounds of aerial fire after protesters advanced despite repeated warnings. Stone pelting left six police personnel injured, while four Gen-Z protesters were also hurt. Tensions escalated further when demonstrators set fire to the police beat in Simara Bazaar and torched items taken from the UML office, accusing police of shielding party cadres involved in Wednesday’s clashes.

The violence first erupted a day earlier, after news spread that CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel and youth leader Mahesh Basnet were flying into Simara to address an anti-government rally. Gen-Z groups gathered at the airport to oppose their arrival, sparking a confrontation with local UML members and forcing the party to cancel the event.

Police have since arrested two UML ward chairpersons — Dhan Bahadur Shrestha and Kaimoddin Ansari — for allegedly assaulting Gen-Z youths during Wednesday’s violence.

Fresh unrest broke out in Nepal’s Bara district on Thursday as clashes between Gen-Z youths and cadres of ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s CPN-UML left at least 10 people injured, prompting authorities to reimpose a curfew in the border district.

Tensions flared again at Simara Chowk when young protesters returned to the streets, accusing police of failing to arrest those they had named in complaints over Wednesday’s violence, The Kathmandu Post reported. Crowds began gathering around 11 am, leading the Bara administration to enforce a curfew from 1 pm to 8 pm to prevent further escalation and protect lives and property.

Nepal’s prime minister, Sushila Karki, urged calm on Wednesday, calling on all sides to “refrain from unwanted political provocation” and place their trust in the democratic process ahead of the 5 March 2026 elections.

In a late-evening statement, Karki said she had instructed the Home Administration and security agencies to act “with utmost restraint and preparation to maintain peace and order.” She added that her priority was to “ensure the safe movement of leaders of all political parties and create a fair and fear-free environment for the elections.”

Karki also met representatives from more than 110 political parties on Wednesday, telling them, “We want this country to be in the hands of a new generation and to be managed by people with vision.”

Police said the confrontation began on Wednesday, when a Buddha Air flight carrying CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel and party youth leader Mahesh Basnet was preparing to depart Kathmandu for Simara, where the pair were set to address an anti-government rally.

As word spread that senior CPN-UML leaders were headed to the city, Gen-Z protesters gathered near the airport to oppose their visit, sparking a clash with local CPN-UML cadres. Authorities then imposed a curfew in the airport area to restore order.

Nepal is once again witnessing a major protest led by Gen Z, a curfew was imposed for the second consecutive day in Bara district on Thursday as authorities scrambled to prevent fresh clashes between Gen-Z protest groups and cadres of the Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), led by ousted former prime minister KP Sharma Oli.