Actor Rohit Saraf is sending his prayers to Nepal after protests by the Gen Z against the central government's move to ban social media platforms such as X, YouTube, and Facebook, in his native country turned violent.
In an Instagram Story, the Kathmandu-born actor wrote on Monday, "To everyone in Nepal... my thoughts and prayers are with you. No struggle should come at the cost of innocent lives. Violence is never the answer. Hoping for dialogue, compassion, and peace."
Previously, actor Manisha Koirala, who is Nepalese, broke her silence over the protests. She shared a photograph of a blood-soaked shoe which belonged to a young protester on her Instagram and wrote a brief note condemning the violence.
On late Monday night, the Nepal government, led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, lifted the ban on social media apps after protests resulting in clashes with the police that led to the death of at least 19 people and left more than 300 injured.
Nepal Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites.
"The government has already decided to open social media by addressing the demand of Gen-Z," said the minister, following an emergency cabinet meeting.
However, Mr Gurung also stated that the government does not regret its earlier decision to shut the social media platforms down.
Last week, Nepal's government blocked access to several social media platforms after the companies missed the deadline to register under new regulations, aimed at cracking down on misuse.
Nepal's government has said social media users create fake IDs and use them to spread hate speech and fake news, commit fraud and other crimes on these platforms.
Local media reported that the banned platforms include Meta's Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Alphabet's YouTube, China's Tencent and Snapchat, Pinterest and X.
On Monday, authorities imposed a curfew around the parliament building after thousands of the protesters tried to enter the legislature by breaking a police barricade. Police had orders to use water cannons, batons and rubber bullets to control the crowd.
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