In early September 2025, Nepal witnessed a wave of massive demonstrations led mostly by young people from Generation Z. These protests started as a response to a government ban on popular social media platforms but quickly grew into calls for fighting corruption and ending nepotism in politics. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in cities like Kathmandu, defying curfews and facing police action.
The spark came on September 4, when the government banned 26 social media apps, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube, because they hadn’t registered under new rules. Many saw this as an attempt to silence online criticism about politicians’ families showing off wealth while ordinary people struggled. Young Nepalis, frustrated with “nepo kids” (children of powerful people getting unfair advantages), used social media trends to highlight these issues before the ban.
By September 8, protests erupted in full force. Demonstrators gathered near parliament, chanting for change. Police responded with tear gas, water cannons, and even live bullets, leading to at least 20 deaths and over 400 injuries. The government quickly lifted the ban that same day, but it wasn’t enough. Anger boiled over, and on September 9, protesters set fire to government buildings, including the parliament and homes of top leaders.
The unrest forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign on September 9, along with several ministers who cited the chaos as their reason for stepping down. This marked a big win for the protesters, but it also showed deep problems in Nepal’s politics, like widespread corruption and a lack of trust in leaders.
These events have drawn attention from around the world, with groups like Human Rights Watch calling for investigations into the police violence. For Nepal’s youth, this uprising is about building a fairer future without favoritism or abuse of power.
Sources:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2025/9/9/nepal-protests-live-nepali-congress-office-top-leaders-homes-set-on-fire
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nepal-pm-oli-quits-anti-corruption-protests-spiral-2025-09-09/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Nepalese_Gen_Z_protests
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