On Monday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, to protest against the recent social media ban imposed by the government. 73-year-old Prime Minister and Chairman of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) Khadga Prasad Oli announced his resignation on Tuesday. Last week, he attended the military parade in Beijing.
The protests on Monday escalated into clashes with security forces, resulting in at least 19 deaths and over 300 people injured. The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. The most affected areas, including the parliament building, were placed under curfew with checkpoints set up.
The Nepalese government decided to shut down 26 social media platforms last week, including Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp, sparking strong resentment among the youth.
Authorities argued that this measure was necessary to curb fake news and hate speech, and to strengthen security. However, many Nepalese, especially the young “Generation Z,” viewed this move as an attack on freedom of speech and digital rights, akin to implementing internet censorship.
According to World Bank data, by 2023, 56% of Nepalese could access the internet, with millions of social media users in the country. Nepal has an annual GDP of $42.9 billion, with social media content creation contributing $24.8 million in revenue each year.
When asked about the ban, Oli stated that national dignity and sovereignty are more important than a few individuals losing their economic income. This statement further angered the young protesters.
In the weeks leading up to the ban, a movement called “nepobaby” was launched on social media, exposing the luxurious lifestyles of politicians’ children involved in nepotism and corruption, fueling public dissatisfaction with the government.
On September 8th, many young people who relied on social platforms for a living initiated peaceful protests in Kathmandu, demanding an end to corruption and the lifting of the ban. However, the protests quickly turned into violent clashes.
Although the government announced the revocation of the social media ban on Tuesday and confirmed that all platforms had resumed operations, the protests did not abate. The public’s discontent shifted from the social media ban to widespread accusations of corruption against political elites.
Protests swiftly spread to southern and western Nepal, mostly involving young people born between 1995 and 2010, including some teenagers in school uniforms. They chanted slogans such as “Fight corruption, not social media” and “Youth against corruption,” expressing dissatisfaction with government incompetence and the lack of economic opportunities for the younger generation.
After Oli’s resignation, a joint statement was issued by the Nepalese government’s Chief Secretary and the head of the security forces, urging all parties to exercise restraint and urging for peaceful resolution of issues through political dialogue.
The Nepalese army, in another statement, stated their commitment to protecting the people and called for national unity to prevent further escalations.
President Ram Chandra Paudel also called on protesters to engage in negotiations. He urged people to exercise restraint, preventing further harm to the nation. He emphasized that in a democratic country, citizens’ demands can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation.
According to Agence France-Presse, one of the activists and Generation Z protesters, Rakshya Bam, stated that Oli’s resignation symbolizes a victory for the movement, with his resignation being just the first step.
By Tuesday evening, protesters had set fire to the private residences of several prominent party leaders, including Oli, and multiple party offices.
Smoke emanated from the parliament building and Singha Durbar, raising concerns about possible destruction of civic data and public records. The office of Nepal’s Supreme Court and one of the country’s largest media groups, Kantipur, was also set ablaze.
Videos on social media showed Sher Bahadur Deuba, a leader of the Nepali Congress party who partnered with Oli, and his wife, current Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba, being attacked by protesters. The Finance Minister was chased into a river by enraged citizens.
Oli, born in eastern Nepal, entered politics in his youth and was imprisoned for 14 years for his involvement in overthrowing the monarchy. He is considered the founder of the Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
Oli was first elected as Prime Minister in 2015, re-elected in 2018, and briefly re-elected in the Nepalese parliament in 2021. Over the past decade, Nepal has experienced several changes in government.
After over a decade-long civil war, Nepal abolished the monarchy in 2008, becoming a federal republic with Maoist communists joining the governance. Since then, the Nepalese government has been unstable, with the Himalayan nation of approximately 30 million people facing increasingly severe economic challenges, especially following the devastating blow to the tourism industry due to the COVID pandemic.
In July 2024, Oli returned to power and broke tradition by choosing Beijing as his first foreign visit destination instead of India. Oli is known for his nationalist views, advocating for deepening relations with Beijing and cooperating under the Belt and Road Initiative.
From late August to September 3, 2025, Oli visited China, attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin and the military parade in Beijing.
Oli suffers from kidney disease, has undergone kidney transplant surgery, and frequently travels abroad for medical treatment.