On September 9, 2025, Nepal found itself at the epicenter of a dramatic political upheaval, as Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli resigned following days of violent protests that left at least 19 people dead and more than 300 injured. What began as outrage over a government-imposed ban on social media platforms quickly spiraled into a nationwide movement against corruption, inequality, and the privileges enjoyed by the political elite’s families—often referred to as “Nepo Kids.”
The unrest erupted in Kathmandu on Monday, September 8, when thousands of young people, many still in their school uniforms, poured into the streets under the banner of the “Gen Z protest.” Organized by the nonprofit Hami Nepal and approved by the Kathmandu District Administration Office, the demonstration initially demanded the immediate reversal of the government’s ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and WeChat. The government had implemented the ban just days earlier, on September 4, citing the platforms’ failure to comply with new requirements to register locally and submit to oversight.
But the mood in the capital quickly shifted from peaceful protest to chaos. According to eyewitnesses and police reports cited by The Times of India and Al Jazeera, the demonstration turned violent when some protesters broke through police barricades and entered the parliament premises in New Baneshwor. Security forces responded with water cannons, tear gas, and ultimately live rounds. By the end of the day, at least 17 people lay dead in Kathmandu, with two more killed in the eastern city of Itahari. Over 100 people, including 28 police officers, were hospitalized with injuries.
As news of the violence spread, anger boiled over. Demonstrations erupted in other cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, and Damak. The government imposed curfews across Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Butwal, Itahari, and Bhaktapur, barring public gatherings and sit-ins. The army was deployed to secure the roads around the parliament complex, and Kathmandu’s international airport canceled all scheduled flights. Army helicopters ferried ministers to safety as protesters set fire to the homes of top leaders and the parliament building itself. Local media and viral videos captured scenes of thick smoke billowing from government offices and the presidential palace.
“All 26 social media platforms have been restored—but lifting the ban alone is not sufficient. What matters is accountability. The state has brutally murdered unarmed and peaceful young people—some of them in school uniform,” Swati Thapa, a central committee member of the opposition Rastriya Prajatantra Party, told The Times of India. “Though the home minister has resigned, that does not settle matters. The government must face the court of law and be held responsible for this mass murder of innocents. And we will not be silent—Gen Z will return to the streets on Tuesday to protest these atrocities and RPP will stand with them.”
The government’s decision to ban social media was widely condemned, both within Nepal and internationally. Rights groups and opposition politicians accused officials of attempting to stifle dissent and curb freedom of expression. The ban was lifted on September 9, but by then, the movement had grown far beyond its original cause. Protesters’ chants—“Stop the ban on social media. Stop corruption, not social media”—echoed the broader frustration with Nepal’s entrenched political class.
Prime Minister Oli, 73, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing the “adverse situation in the country” and expressing hope that his departure would help resolve the crisis politically. “In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his resignation letter to President Ramchandra Paudel, as reported by CBC News. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak had already resigned on moral grounds the previous day, and Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari followed suit on Tuesday.
President Paudel, the ceremonial head of state, called for dialogue and urged protesters to seek a peaceful resolution. The army echoed this sentiment, releasing a statement calling for calm and political dialogue, though providing little detail beyond that.
But as the government scrambled to restore order, the underlying grievances fueling the protests became impossible to ignore. For years, Nepal has struggled with widespread corruption, economic inequality, and a perception that political leaders and their families enjoy privileges denied to ordinary citizens. The term “Nepo Kids”—a play on nepotism—trended across Nepali social media in the weeks leading up to the protests, as videos circulated showing the children of top officials posing with luxury cars and designer brands.
“The anger over ‘nepo kids’ in Nepal reflects deep public frustration,” Yog Raj Lamichhane, an assistant professor at Pokhara University, told Al Jazeera. “What strikes ordinary Nepalis is how political leaders—who once lived modestly as party workers—now flaunt extravagant lifestyles as established figures.” Protesters have demanded a special commission to investigate the sources of politicians’ wealth, highlighting broader concerns about corruption and economic disparity.
The economic backdrop is grim. Nepal’s per capita annual income hovers around $1,400, the lowest in South Asia, and the poverty rate remains above 20 percent. Youth unemployment is a persistent challenge: World Bank data shows that in 2024, 32.6 percent of Nepali youth were unemployed and not pursuing education, compared to 23.5 percent in neighboring India. Every day, more than 2,000 young Nepalis leave the country in search of work, mostly in the Middle East or Southeast Asia. Remittances from citizens working abroad now comprise 33.1 percent of Nepal’s GDP—among the highest in the world.
Land ownership remains deeply unequal, despite repeated land reform efforts. “The top 10 percent of households own over 40 percent of land, while a large share of the rural poor are landless or near landless,” Dipesh Karki, an assistant professor at Kathmandu University, explained to Al Jazeera. He described the current crisis as the inevitable result of “elite capture” and “prevalent inequality that has plagued the nation since time immemorial.”
Despite the curfews and an ongoing army presence, protests continued on Tuesday. Demonstrators burned tires in Kathmandu’s Kalanki area and set fire to the Nepali Congress party’s central office in Sanepa. Schools in the capital were closed, and the streets remained tense. Pratibha Rawal, joint spokesperson of the Rastriya Swatantra Party, insisted the Gen Z protests would continue: “This was not a law-and-order response—it was a massacre. These were young people holding placards, not weapons. Their voices were met with bullets. A resignation is not justice. This generation will not be silenced—we will return to the streets, not just to reclaim our rights but to demand accountability for state violence.”
As Nepal faces a period of uncertainty, the events of September 2025 have exposed deep rifts in society and a generational demand for accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform. Whether the resignation of top leaders and the lifting of the social media ban will be enough to calm the streets remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Nepal’s youth have found their voice, and they are determined not to let it be silenced.
