- Youth protests erupted in Nepal after a sudden government social media ban was imposed
- Nineteen people died following police shootings during violent clashes with protesters
- Properties of top politicians, including the President, were attacked by demonstrators
After years of frustration over unemployment, corruption, and political instability, Nepal's youth reached a breaking point. The immediate trigger was a sudden government ban on social media, pushing the country's youth onto the streets in fury.
In an unprecedented move, government buildings and politicians' homes were set ablaze, there were violent clashes with police, and 19 lives were lost after security forces opened fire on protesters. Although Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli eventually resigned, the unrest only deepened.
Amid the violence, a bizarre 'trend' emerged. Nepal's Gen Z, raised on a steady diet of TikTok and Instagram, turned the protests into a stage.
Videos surfaced showing young men dancing in front of burning buildings, some draped in the national flag, others banging metal plates on buckets. In one clip, thick smoke fills the frame while a young man breaks into choreographed moves.
On Tuesday, former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, were both injured after being attacked by mobs. Eyewitnesses reported that the wife of former prime minister Jhala Nath Khanal suffered severe burn injuries when their house was set on fire in Dallu. She later succumbed at a hospital.
Properties belonging to President Ramchandra Paudel, former PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and several cabinet ministers were also attacked. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel was chased and assaulted by demonstrators.
Hours before Oli's resignation, protesters torched his private residence in Balkot, underscoring the scale of public rage. But even as the political class scrambled, Gen Z continued to flood timelines with their clips once the social media ban was lifted on Tuesday.
In addition to the 19 fatalities, scores of people were wounded. Oli has ordered an investigation into the shootings and promised compensation to the families.
Constitutional expert and former Supreme Court judge Balaram K.C. said, "Gen Z should set up a negotiation team," adding that the President should then hold talks with the team and others, including civil society members and the army, per Reuters.
