19 killed in ‘Gen Z protests’ against Nepal social media ban, corruption

The protests were held in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Bhairahawa, Itahari and Chitwan. Police are learnt to have opened fire in at least two places — Kathmandu and Itahari in east Nepal. While 16 were killed in Kathmandu, the remaining three were killed in Itahari.

A PTI report after midnight said the Nepal government had lifted the ban on social media platforms. No further details were available.

Earlier in the evening, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who represented the Nepali Congress party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, resigned on moral grounds. Oli held an emergency cabinet meeting, which decided to deal sternly with “the move against the progressive system”, sources said.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of youths, including school students in uniform, converged in front of the Parliament, in the heart of Kathmandu, and shouted anti-government slogans, demanding that the “corrupt” regime be brought to justice and the ban on social media — a platform for their voices — be lifted.

Many protesters carried the national flag and placards with slogans like “shut down corruption and not social media”, “un-ban social media”, and “youths against corruption”, as they marched through Kathmandu. The protests reflect young people’s widespread frustration with the government and anger over its policies, organisers said.

Protesters pushed through barbed wire and forced riot police to retreat as they surrounded the Parliament building. Some forced their way into the Parliament complex, an official said. Ekram Giri, a parliamentary spokesperson, said some protesters entered the premises but not the main building and were driven out by police.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons but were outnumbered; they eventually opened fire at the protesters. The situation remained tense and the government announced a curfew around Parliament, the government secretariat, presidential house and key parts of the city.

An AP report quoted Dr Badri Risal at the National Trauma Centre, the country’s main hospital in the centre of Kathmandu, as saying that many of the injured who had been brought there were “in serious condition and appear to have been shot in the head and chest”.

Police personnel are alleged to have used drones to lob teargas shells from the Civil Hospital premises where the injured were taken. While the Army was deployed, protesters encircled the military vans and warned them against any action.

Ahead of Monday’s protests, with almost all social media platforms banned, the organisers and support groups turned to TikTok, which continues to operate, to target “corrupt leaders” and their children, asking them to reveal the source of funds for supporting their “luxurious” lifestyle.

The protests, which rallied together youths under 30 years, were not linked to any party. Purusottam Yadav and Sabai Gautam, among the organisers, had told various groups which extended their support that it was not a political movement, but a step against corruption and suppression of dissent.

Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah was among the supporters. Although the protesters have targeted the ruling coalition constituents — Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and the Nepali Congress — as well the Opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) as “corrupt”, former Prime Minister and Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, criticised the government action and supported the protesters. The Rastriya Swatantra Party, the fourth largest party in Parliament, demanded early elections.

On September 4, the government had banned over two dozen social media sites, including Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram and YouTube, for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline. While the government has said the social media sites were banned to bring them under regulation, protesters have called it an attack on free speech.

Oli on Sunday said his government would “always oppose anomalies and arrogance, and would never accept any act that undermines the nation”. He said his party was not against social media, “but what cannot be accepted is those doing business in Nepal, making money, and yet not complying with the law.” Referring to the criticism over the move, he called protesters and agitating voices “puppets who only oppose for the sake of opposing”.

In the order issued by Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung last week, the government had said it was following the Supreme Court ruling which had called for monitoring and accountability of social media sites. The government said these sites would be allowed to resume operations after complying with the order to register.

The government has also sent a Bill to Parliament that seeks to ensure that social platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable”. Besides asking the companies to appoint a liaison office in the country, the Bill provides for restrictive rules including deletion of any post that the government wants removed, inclusion of ‘likes’ and reposts as cognizable offences, and disclosure of details on users as sought by the government.

The Bill has been widely criticised as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights. —With Agencies

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