Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday after unprecedented protests by Gen Z demonstrators, sparked by a government social media ban culminated in protesters storming parliament and deadly clashes with security forces that killed at least 19 people and injured over 300.
The episode marks the country’s worst political crisis in years, exposing deep generational rifts and escalating calls for government accountability and anti-corruption action.
Chaos unfolds: Nepal youth-led protest turns deadly
The mess started when Oli banned Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and two dozen other social platforms because the companies wouldn’t register under new rules.
Young Nepalis had been using these sites to call out corrupt politicians, posting about “nepo kids” getting government jobs through family connections. When the platforms got shut down, the youngsters took to the streets instead.
Protesters found ways around the social media blackout, using encrypted chat apps and just talking to each other in person to organize. Thousands showed up in Kathmandu, a lot of them still wearing their school uniforms.
Things went bad fast on September 8. Crowds tried to get past security barriers at parliament, even though there was supposed to be a curfew.
Police started with tear gas, then water cannons, then rubber bullets. Eventually they were shooting live ammunition into crowds of teenagers and college kids.
The body count forced immediate resignations. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak quit first, saying he couldn’t live with what happened.
Then ministers started dropping like dominoes with agriculture, health, sports, water ministers stepping down. Even politicians from Oli’s own coalition bailed on him.
As per the news reports, the Prime Minister’s resignation came after the suggestion from Nepal Army chief.
The government tried damage control, lifting the social media ban and promising investigations. But protesters wanted Oli’s resignation after witnessing so much violence.
Democracy at a generational crossroads
Nepal’s political landscape has been transformed by a generation unwilling to accept the silence their elders once maintained.
When authorities attempted to suppress anti-corruption protests by severing internet connections, young demonstrators refused to retreat, instead marching directly to parliament’s gates.
The country now faces a critical juncture. Opposition parties scramble to establish an interim government while protesters maintain their vigil, demanding comprehensive reforms and accountability.
International bodies are pressing for investigations into police violence that claimed 19 young lives.
The economic fallout looms large. Tourism revenues face steep declines as violent imagery spreads globally, while already-cautious foreign investors grow more reluctant precisely when Nepal desperately needs international support.
European Union officials have signaled potential aid program reviews pending investigation outcomes.
Despite Prime Minister Oli’s resignation, fundamental challenges persist: entrenched corruption, nepotism, and institutional weakness.
The pivotal question remains whether Nepal can confront these deep-rooted issues and forge genuine transformation, or whether this moment of unprecedented youth activism will fade without lasting change.
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