At least 19 people were killed and around 400 injured in Nepal when police fired rubber bullets and live ammunition at a demonstration led by the youth.
Nepal’s tech-savvy Gen Z generation on Monday (September 8, 2025) poured into the streets of Kathmandu and other major cities to protest corruption, nepotism, favouritism, and misgovernance, triggered by the K.P. Sharma Oli government’s recent ban on social media platforms.
Also read: Nepal Protests Live updates
The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed the casualty figures based on data collected from hospitals across the country.
Tens of thousands of Gen Z protestors rallied in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Butwal, Dharan, Ghorahi, Itahari, and elsewhere, chanting in unison: “We are the movement. We will fight against corruption and nepotism.”
The Oli government on Thursday (September 4, 2025) imposed a sweeping ban on over two dozen platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, citing their failure to comply with Nepal’s mandatory registration requirements.
Free speech advocates were quick to warn that the ban was less about regulation than about silencing dissent. Still, the government went ahead, a move that clearly struck a raw nerve among Nepal’s digital generation.
A protester in his 20s said he would rather get hit by the Oli government’s bullet than back down. “I am here despite warnings against participating in this demonstration,” he said. “This corruption and misgovernance must end.”
Demonstrators holding placards stand behind the barricade during the protest in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Demonstrators started gathering at Maitighar, in the heart of Kathmandu, from Monday (September 8, 2025) morning, and as time passed, the protest grew bigger.
As they marched towards the federal parliament building in New Baneshwor, security forces reinforced barricades. But protesters broke through the police cordon and entered the parliament premises, chanting slogans against leaders, including PM Oli, and demanding he “leave the country.”
Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer issued a notice stating that police would fire shots if government property was targeted, which was immediately met with fierce opposition. Nevertheless, police engaged in excessive force, using water cannons and live bullets, ultimately leading to the deaths of young protesters.
Cabinet meeting
Following a Cabinet meeting held on Monday (September 8, 2025) evening, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned.
A Minister said Mr. Lekhak had submitted his resignation to PM Oli during a Cabinet meeting.
The Nepal Government has decided to form an inquiry committee to investigate the Gen Z-led protests and the committee will be given 15 days to investigate and submit a report to the government.
Curfew imposed
The local administration has imposed a curfew in Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City of Sunsari, around 360 kilometres east of Kathmandu, after protesters set the Mayor’s office on fire.
According to officials, youths protesting against corruption and demanding good governance broke through police barricades, stormed the Mayor’s office, and set it ablaze. The curfew has been imposed until further notice.
“State brutality”
Observers closely following the event described Monday’s (September 8, 2025) protest as a clear case of state brutality—on a scale far greater than that seen during King Gyanendra’s regime 19 years ago.
Yadav Devkota, a public intellectual, said Monday’s (September 8, 2025) was a protest by young people and schoolchildren, which did not have any political agenda, but the ruling class reacted violently, and it is highly condemnable.
“Corruption, crony capitalism, and extractive politics have frustrated a big chunk of Nepalis. Members of Gen Z have been disenchanted for quite a while, feeling that misgovernance is robbing them of their future,” said Mr. Devkota, who writes on contemporary political and social issues. “Gen Z would have come to the streets anyway, and they did today, triggered by the Oli government’s decision to ban social media platforms.”
Mr. Devkota, however, was quick to warn that reducing the protest to Gen Z’s dissatisfaction with the social media ban alone would be misguided. “It just prompted them to take action,” he added.
The National Human Rights Council, in a statement, confirmed that its monitoring of the protest found security forces used excessive force on protesters.
Eyewitnesses said police even fired tear gas shells into hospital areas, adding to the woes of doctors and nurses struggling to deal with the swelling number of injured.
Police use tear gas to disperse people protesting against the government’s decision to block several social media platforms outside the parliament building in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
ANI
In 2006, massive protests against Gyanendra’s regime lasted 18 days, ultimately leading to the fall of the centuries-old monarchy and establishing Nepal as a democratic federal republic.
Rising corruption, misgovernance
Successive Nepali governments have promised development and prosperity, but youth unemployment remains high in the country of around 30 million people.
Misgovernance has become the order of the day in Nepal. Since Mr. Oli — a leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) — came to power 14 months ago, backed by the Nepali Congress, cases of corruption and irregularities have been on the rise.
The Oli government, however, instead of addressing calls to fix governance and improve service delivery, increasingly became intolerant of criticism and dissent.
A large section of Nepal’s youth, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, migrate to the Gulf or Malaysia for low-paying jobs. Thousands of others leave for Europe, Australia, or the United States in search of higher education and better opportunities. Estimates suggest that around 2,000 Nepalis leave the country every day.
For many of those who stayed—especially younger people—social media had become a source of livelihood and a safe space for expression.
Dambar Khatiwada, a writer, said the government’s abrupt ban on these platforms triggered not just anger but deep anxiety, as economic and creative freedoms came under threat.
“The move to ban social media platforms is clearly rooted more in silencing criticism than regulation. But Gen Z had had enough—as they saw it not only as an attempt to silence them, but to rob them of their space,” said Mr. Khatiwada. “That it was pent-up anger was reflected in the way they refused to relent, even when police marched toward them.”
Protesters in Kathmandu said the demonstrations were not guided by any political party or affiliated group. Rather, they described it as an impromptu response to rising corruption, censorship, nepotism, and favouritism.
Nepal’s digital sphere had for some time been abuzz with the ‘nepo baby’ or ‘nepo kids’ campaign—mirroring one in Indonesia during the 2024 vice-presidential election, when criticism mounted over former President Joko Widodo’s son Gibran and son-in-law Bobby being fast-tracked into politics.
As it trended online, it became the symbolic starting point of Monday’s Gen Z protest. The phrase refers to nepotism, where the children of influential individuals benefit from family ties.
Nepal’s Gen Z took a leaf from that—and on Monday (September 8, 2025), filled the streets.
“Nepal’s self-centered politicians’ indulgence in corruption and misgovernance has frustrated many, and members of Gen Z are no exception,” said Mr. Devkota. “Nepali politicians and their families living luxurious lives at the expense of the tax paid by their parents’ hard work lit the fire under Gen Z. They took to the streets to demand accountability.”
South Asian pattern?
The fall of Sheikh Hasina and her subsequent fleeing were widely described in Nepal as a sign that the country could see a “Bangladesh moment” sooner rather than later. While some dismissed it, others argued it was only a matter of time if Nepal’s ruling class—completely disconnected from ordinary citizens—refused to reform.
Mr. Khatiwada, who said he was at the protest site on Monday (September 8, 2025), noted that the way protesters stormed the parliament building clearly showed how angry they were.
Demonstrators gather at the entrance of the Parliament during the protest in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Despite local authorities imposing a curfew, the protesters refused to back down. Nepal Army vehicles were deployed to enforce the curfew, but instead of retreating, protesters lay in front of them.
“Today’s protest — with Gen Z leading the charge — is definitely a defining moment for Nepal,” said Mr. Khatiwada. “Gen Z did not come to the streets just to protest the social media ban; they wanted to show the government how angry they are.”
Calls from the public grew for the Oli government to resign as casualty figures rose.
“This government has blood on its hands. The Oli government has committed murder,” said Mr. Devkota. “It must pay the price. The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must be held to account. Their resignation is not enough.”
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