19 Killed in Nepal Protests Over Social Media Ban as Home Minister Resigns

ByEditor

Sep 8, 2025 #Nepal's Social Media Ban, #Nepal's Social Media Ban Protest, #Nepal’s Home Minister, #Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, #Ramesh Lekhak

Segun Atanda/

At least 19 people have been killed and scores injured in Nepal after violent clashes broke out between youths and police over the government’s ban on major social media platforms.

The crisis has forced Home Minister, Ramesh Lekhak, to resign, tendering his resignation to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during a cabinet meeting at the PM’s official residence in Baluwatar.

The government’s decision to block access to Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp and YouTube sparked outrage among young people who saw the move as an assault on free expression.

Thousands of protesters, many of them students in uniforms, poured into the streets of Kathmandu carrying placards demanding an end to corruption and a reversal of the ban. Slogans such as “Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media” and “Youths against corruption” echoed through the capital.

Violence escalated in the New Baneshwar district near Parliament, where protesters breached barricades and security forces responded with tear gas, water cannons, rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Hospitals in Kathmandu were overwhelmed with casualties, treating victims with head and chest injuries as families gathered to donate blood and search for missing relatives.

Authorities have since imposed a strict curfew in parts of the capital and deployed the army to restore order. Security zones have been declared around Parliament, the government secretariat and the presidential residence.

The government defended its decision to restrict platforms, arguing that they failed to comply with new registration rules under the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. Apps like TikTok and Viber, which met the requirements, remain available.

Analysts say the unrest reflects deeper frustrations among Nepal’s Generation Z over entrenched corruption, economic stagnation and political elitism.

The deaths of nearly twenty young protesters and the resignation of the home minister have underscored the severity of the crisis and the widening gap between the country’s leadership and its restless youth.