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On a bright September morning, streets outside Parliament in New Baneshwar filled with teenagers in hoodies and school-bag backpacks, their phones held high, their faces streaked with smoke and determination. What began as a digital outcry against a brief but sweeping social-media blackout quickly became something much larger: an explosion of youthful fury aimed at decades of graft, cronyism and a political class that Gen-Z protesters say has been flaunting illgotten wealth online while the country’ s services and opportunities stagnated. Over the course of a week, protests spread from Kathmandu to Pokhara, Butwal, Bharatpur and towns across Nepal— buildings were stormed and burned, dozens were killed by security forces, a prime minister resigned, and a former chief justice stepped in to lead an interim government.
The immediate trigger was almost absurdly modern. Authorities briefly blocked major social platforms, a move justified by the government as necessary to stop misinformation, officials said, and that ban spread anger rather than calm. But the tinder had been laid for years. Viral posts and short videos cataloging elites’ luxury lifestyles, dubbed“ nepo-kids” and“ elite kids” in Nepali social feeds, acted like accelerant: young people who felt shut out of the economy suddenly had visual evidence of a system that appeared rigged. The ban, and the government’ s heavy-handed tactics to reverse it, converted online outrage into mass street action.
What began as demonstrations on September 8 rapidly escalated. Curfews were imposed in multiple cities; videos widely shared online showed crowds pushing past police lines, setting fire to government offices and, in some cases, private homes tied to highprofile politicians. Security forces responded with mass arrests, batons, tear gas— and live ammunition in several locations. Initial casualty reports varied: early local reporting put the death toll at 19 on the first day; subsequent tallies rose dramatically as hospitals and morgues processed the flow of wounded and killed. By mid-September multiple reputable outlets reported totals in the 70s— Reuters and other agencies cited official and hospital figures that placed deaths at roughly 72 – 74 with more than 2,000 injured. Forensics later confirmed the use of live, high-velocity ammunition against protesters in many fatal incidents.
The casualty lists are not just numbers. Families have held impromptu vigils in Kathmandu alleys; images of funerals and coffins circulated on social media and in international news, galvanising further anger. Autopsies and forensic reports, now part of a governmentmandated inquiry, show many victims were shot in head and chest wounds typical of high-velocity rounds rather than less-lethal crowd control measures. International rights groups and the United Nations called for an independent, transparent probe into the killings. The interim government has set up a commission and ordered investigations; whether those probes will satisfy grieving families, or lead to prosecutions, remains an open, politically charged question.
The political consequences were swift. Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli, leader of the CPN-UML and a polarising figure in Nepali politics, announced his resignation amid the unrest, joining a string of senior ministers who stepped down or were removed. President Ram Chandra Poudel dissolved the House of Representatives and appointed former Supreme Court chief justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister, Nepal’ s first woman to hold the post. Karki’ s interim mandate, backed by the president, was to stabilise the country and oversee fresh parliamentary elections scheduled for March 2026.
But the turmoil did not end with Oli’ s resignation. Public fury has extended beyond a single office to a broader distrust of the elder leadership, pressure mounted for a group of ex-premiers and long-standing political heavyweights to step back or explain their conduct. A probe committee has recommended travel restrictions and, in some cases, temporary confiscation of passports for prominent politicians suspected of stoking unrest or benefiting from patronage networks, a move that signals both accountability and a gamble in a volatile political environment.
Major Players And How They Featured
Gen-Z protesters and youth activists— Not a single organisation but a fluid, decentralized movement. Activists organised via short-video platforms and messaging apps; many were first-time demonstrators, students and low-paid service workers demanding systemic change. Their tactics combined viral online exposure with targeted physical actions( occupying public squares, blocking roads, symbolically attacking properties tied to elites).
K. P. Sharma Oli( CPN-UML)— The ousted prime minister, accused by protesters of emblematic corruption and political deadlock. Oli denied ordering lethal force and claimed“ external” elements may have been involved, but public pressure made his position untenable.
Sushila Karki— The former chief justice appointed interim prime minister to lead a caretaker government and oversee elections. Seen by many youths as a neutral, rule-of-law figure, Karki’ s task is to restore order, manage the inquiry into the killings, and shepherd the country to credible polls.
Security forces and police leadership— Senior police and military leaders became focal points of criticism as evidence mounted of lethal force. Forensics showing live ammo use has prompted calls for accountability and
TRAVERSE 51