19 Dead in Nepal Clashes as Gen Z Protests Continue Despite Social Media Ban

Highlights

Nepalese protesters are on the streets in anger over pervasive corruption and the government’s move last week to shut down major Nepal social media ban platforms

Thousands of young people poured onto the roads on Monday and “youth mobs engaged in violent acts”, security forces reported. At least 19 people have died, and more than 100 others were injured. The government then enforced a curfew in parts of the capital Kathmandu, after protesters breached the Parliament complex and surrounded the police.

Analysts have described the Nepal Gen Z protests, and a source of growing frustration for Nepal’s young.

When did the demurrers start?

Crowds gathered from as early as 9 am on Monday original time( 0315 GMT).

Where did the youth demurrers in Nepal do?

Protesters gathered in one of Kathmandu’s busiest sections, Maitighar. The quarter has a well- known corner, the Maitighar Mandala monument.

What happened in the Gen Z protest?

“Aayush Basyal, a 27-year-old master’s student in Nepal political unrest science, was among the throngs of young people in the streets,” reported Al Jazeera’s Elizabeth Puranam, who also spoke to Basyal for her story. “He said when it first began at midday, it was nothing like he had ever seen,” Puranam said. “But as the afternoon turned to evening, he told us ‘groups of muscular men on motorcycles with loudspeakers tried to create chaos’.”

Basyal also noted there was “an overwhelming Nepal clashes 2025” in the protests. Many of them were in school and college uniforms.

“What I noticed was that I didn’t see political banners and political party symbols,” he added.

What is the reason for young Nepalis to protest?

The protest against corruption has seen many in Nepal’s young population speak out about their frustration at the lack of accountability.

“The cases keep getting coverage in the public and even in Parliament, but they don’t have fair conclusions. So, it’s frustrating,” said Basyal.

Nepal Airlines bought two A330 wide-body planes, but a five-year-long Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) investigation found the deal had cost the exchequer 1.47 billion rupees ($10.4 million).