A Social Media Ban, Corruption and ‘Nepo Kids:’ What We Know About The Deadly Protests Roiling Nepal

Nepal’s prime minister has resigned after more than a dozen people were killed and hundreds injured during youth-led protests sparked by a government ban on social media platforms, widespread corruption, and poor economic opportunities.

Security forces deployed live ammunition, water cannons, and tear gas during protests in several cities, in which authorities said at least 19 people were killed, according to news agency Reuters.

Nepal, a Himalayan country of 30 million people, is known for its turbulent politics and has seen more than a dozen governments since it transitioned to a republic after abolishing its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 following a decade-long civil war.

Still, the latest protests, which are led by people ages 13 to 28 – the cohort known as Generation Z – are Nepal’s worst unrest in decades.

Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli announced his resignation on Tuesday in a letter that cited “the extraordinary situation” in the country, according to copy of the note posted on social media by a top aide.

Protesters took to the streets again in the capital Tuesday in defiance of a curfew imposed on the city center, and after the government lifted the social media ban. Photos by Reuters showed protesters burning a police booth and furniture outside the office of the Nepali Congress, Nepal’s largest political party. The international airport was closed due to the violence in the city affecting operations, Reuters reported, citing the aviation authority.

South of Kathmandu, in the municipality of Chandrapur, police fired into the air as protesters defied curfew to gather, a local official told CNN. Protesters also set a police car on fire, the source said.

Here’s what we know about the unrest roiling Nepal.

Riot police personnel chase demonstrators during a protest against corruption and the government’s decision to block several social media platforms, in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 8, 2025. Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters

What sparked the protests?

Anger against the government for what many view as rampant, decades-long corruption in Nepal was already simmering, and it spilled into the streets of the capital last week after the government blocked social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube and X, in a move that was widely criticized by rights groups.

The government had written new rules it said were needed to clamp down on fake news and hate speech and threatened to ban any social media companies that failed to register.

By midnight last Thursday, 26 platforms had gone dark, according to local media.

But organizers say the protests, which spread across the country, are not only about the social media ban but are also a reflection of generational frustration at poor economic opportunities.

The unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24 in Nepal was 20.8% in 2024, according to the World Bank.

Meanwhile, a viral online movement against “Nepo Kids” — politicians’ children showing off their lavish lifestyles — is fueling further anger by highlighting the disparities between those in power and regular Nepalis.

Nepal’s economy is heavily reliant on money sent home by Nepalis living abroad. More than a third (33.1%) of Nepal’s GDP came from personal remittances, according to the World Bank, a number that has steadily risen over the past three decades.

“All the Nepali citizens are fed up (with) corruption. Every youth (is) going outside the country. So, we want to protect our youth and make the country’s economy better,” a protester told Reuters.

Gen Z protesters gather on the roof and in front of the parliament house as clashes erupt with police at the Federal Parliament in Kathmandu, Nepal, on September 8, 2025. Prakash Shrestha/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Protests turn deadly

The protests turned violent Monday as protesters clashed with police at the parliament complex in Kathmandu.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at thousands of young protesters, many of whom wore school or college uniforms, according to Reuters.

Protesters set fire to an ambulance and hurled objects at riot police guarding the legislature, Reuters reported, citing a local official.

“The police are firing indiscriminately,” one protester told Indian news agency ANI.

At least 17 people were killed in Kathmandu and two more in the eastern city of Itahari, according to hospital officials.

More than 400 people, including security forces staff, were hospitalized after suffering injuries on Monday, according to a report by Nepal’s health ministry.

International organizations swiftly condemned the lethal crackdown by police and called for an independent investigation.

The UN human rights office said it was “shocked” by the deaths of the protesters and urged a “transparent” investigation. It said it has received “several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary” use of force by security forces during the protests.

“The use of lethal force against protesters not posing an imminent threat of death or serious injury is a grave violation of international law,” Amnesty International said in a statement.

A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest outside the Parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025, condemning social media prohibitions and corruption by the government. Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images

Government under pressure

The resignation of Prime Minister Oli on Tuesday came after a string of other officialas quit over the government’s response to the protests.

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned Monday following the violence, according to Communications Minister Prithvi Subba. The ministers for agriculture, water and health also resigned, they wrote on social media.

The government also lifted the ban on social media platforms.

In a statement before his resignation, Oli said his government was “not negative toward the demands raised by the Gen Z generation” and said he was “deeply saddened” by the incidents on Monday.

He blamed “infiltration by various vested interest groups” for the violence, without elaborating on who the groups were.

Gagan Thapa, General Secretary of the Nepali Congress and member of parliament, on Tuesday conveyed his distress over “the cruel sight of innocent youth being killed unnecessarily is rolling before our eyes” and called on Oli to “take responsibility for this oppression and resign immediately.”

Thapa added: “The Nepali Congress must not, and cannot, remain a witness and partner in this situation for even a single day. The Nepali Congress must withdraw from the government immediately. I will work to get this decision made at the party meeting.”

Nepal’s biggest-selling newspaper had also on Tuesday called for Oli to step down, its editorial board arguing he “cannot sit in the PM’s chair for a minute longer” after Monday’s bloodshed.