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Unprecedented protests erupted across Nepal on September 8, 2025, after the government banned major social media platforms.

What began as peaceful demonstrations by thousands of youth soon turned violent, with at least 19 dead and over 400 injured. Protesters stormed Parliament and targeted politicians’ homes, prompting curfews in Kathmandu and other cities.

As the Gen Z-led agitation intensified for a second day, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned, his secretariat confirming the decision amidst mounting pressure.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Protesters on Nepal’s Streets and the Reasons Behind Their Anger
• India’s Concerns Over Nepal’s Crisis
• Analysis: Nepal’s Crisis Beyond Oli’s Resignation

Protesters on Nepal’s Streets and the Reasons Behind Their Anger

• The protesters are primarily Generation Z youth — those born between 1996 and 2012.
  • With the age group of 16-25 years, Gen Z youths accounted for 20.8 per cent of total population and 90 per cent of its 30 million people using the internet.
• Teens and young adults, frustrated with politics and governance, have taken to the streets in large numbers.
• Corruption and Nepotism
  • Gen Z has expressed deep anger at Nepal’s entrenched corruption and the impunity enjoyed by politicians since the republic’s formation in 2008.
  • The extravagant lifestyles of politicians’ children, mocked as “Nepo Babies” and “Nepo Kids,” became a flashpoint of resentment online.
• Immediate Trigger: Social Media Ban
  • The government’s decision to ban 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X, and YouTube, cut off Gen Z’s primary platform for expression and solidarity.
    • Authorities accused these platforms of failing to register with Nepali regulators and of being misused for hate speech, misinformation and fraud.
    • TikTok was the only major platform to comply and remains accessible.
  • This aggravated their frustration.
• Protests and Violence
  • The discontent culminated in mass protests on Monday. Police and security forces opened fire, killing 19 and injuring hundreds.
  • The unrest represented the most forceful youth uprising in years.
  • While the protesters had no detailed charter, they demanded lifting of the social media ban, which was fulfilled.
  • More broadly, they sought an end to corruption, social inequality, and lack of job opportunities.

India’s Concerns Over Nepal’s Crisis

• India is closely watching Nepal’s turmoil with concern, mindful of its sensitive political alignments in the country.
• Having once lost goodwill with the monarchy and Nepali Congress by backing Maoists, New Delhi now faces a delicate balancing act.
• Recently, PM Modi chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting to assess the situation, stressing that the violence was “heart-rending” and reaffirming that Nepal’s stability, peace, and prosperity remain of utmost importance to India.

Analysis: Nepal’s Crisis Beyond Oli’s Resignation

• The recent violence in Kathmandu, where protesters torched Parliament, ministerial homes, and media offices, reflects deep structural failures in Nepal’s democratic experiment.
• PM Oli’s resignation has not stemmed the unrest, which now questions the country’s political future.
• Systemic Revolt: From Social Media Ban to Nationwide Rage
  • Protests began against the government’s ban on social media but quickly transformed into a broader indictment of corruption, nepotism, and inequality.
  • Security forces’ killing of 19 youth on September 8 ignited nationwide outrage, galvanising Gen Z against decades of political dysfunction, unemployment, and institutional decay.
  • Unlike past democratic movements, these protests lack leadership or clear objectives, instead expressing nihilistic anger against all state institutions.
• Dangerous Precedents in Nepal’s Democracy
  • Despite two people’s movements, a new constitution, and republican institutions, Nepal’s governance remains dominated by elite power-sharing and patronage networks.
  • This disillusionment has created space for anti-system forces, including pro-monarchy and Hindutva groups.
  • The amorphous Gen Z protests, without clear democratic alternatives, risk being co-opted by such forces.
• Regional Parallels and Outsider Appeal
  • Nepal’s turmoil mirrors unrest in South Asia, from Bangladesh’s student-led uprisings to Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya.
  • The popularity of outsider figures like jailed Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah shows youth distrust of mainstream politics.
  • However, Shah’s call for Parliament’s dissolution raises fears of anti-institutional rhetoric undermining democratic renewal.
• The Road Ahead: Reform or Ruin
  • The Gen Z protests have exposed Nepal’s political bankruptcy and systemic failures.
  • Yet, their drift toward violence and institutional destruction threatens democracy itself.
  • For meaningful change, Nepal’s leaders must channel this energy into building credible alternatives, policy frameworks, and constructive institutions.
  • Without this, the movement risks destabilising an already fragile state without delivering sustainable solutions.