1: Protests erupted across Kathmandu after the government blocked access to 26 major social media platforms.
2: According to PTI, 14 people were killed and 42 others injured in the protests.
3: Clashes with security forces intensified, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and batons.
At least 14 people were killed and dozens were injured in a massive demonstrations that erupted across Nepal's capital Kathmandu after the government blocked access to 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X.
The move was taken because the companies failed to register as required under a new government regulation.
Thousands of young protesters, predominantly from Generation Z, and school students marched towards the Parliament, chanting slogans against the ban and corruption.
Clashes with security forces intensified, and police responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons, and batons. The Kathmandu District Administration imposed a curfew from 12:30 PM to 10 PM in New Baneshwor and nearby areas to contain the situation.
“No movement of people, demonstration, meeting, gathering or sit-in will be allowed in the restricted zone,” Chief District Officer Chhabi Lal Rijal said in a notice.
Similar protests erupted in other cities including Pokhara, Biratnagar, and Butwal, underlining the widespread youth-led dissent. The deceased include six at Trauma Centre, three at Civil Hospital, three at Everest Hospital, one at Kathmandu Medical College (KMC), and one at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, PTI quoted the Himalayan Times newspaper.
In response to the escalating unrest, authorities imposed a curfew across key areas of the capital. The ban follows a recent legislative push to regulate digital platforms more strictly, mandating local registration and point-of-contact offices. Platforms that complied with registration—such as TikTok and Viber—remain operational.
The Army has been deployed to control the situation, military officials said
On Thursday, Nepal's government banned 26 social media sites, including Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram and YouTube, for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline.
The government has stated that the social media sites were banned to bring them under regulation. However, the masses' general perception remains that the ban is an attack on free speech and may lead to censorship, PTI reported.
Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Sunday said that his government would “always oppose anomalies and arrogance, and would never accept any act that undermines the nation”.
The prime minister added that he party is not against social media, “but what cannot be accepted is those doing business in Nepal, making money, and yet not complying with the law.”
PTI reported that the PM called protesters and agitating voices “puppets who only oppose for the sake of opposing”.
On Sunday, journalists to gathered at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu to protest the government’s ban on social media.
Security has been heightened across several Uttar Pradesh districts bordering Nepal after violent youth-led demonstrations erupted in the Himalayan nation over a government ban on social media platforms, officials said Monday.
In Balrampur, SP Vikas Kumar said that surveillance had been intensified along the border. “Drone monitoring is underway, and additional forces have been deployed at all police stations near the boundary,” he noted.
According to PTI, In Bahraich, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has strengthened patrols, setting up checks not only on highways but also on village paths and forest routes connecting the two countries. Ganga Singh Udawat, Commandant of the SSB’s 42nd battalion, said that while only limited protests were seen near Nepalgunj, security on the Indian side has been reinforced with tools like face-recognition systems and automatic number plate readers.
Locals described the abrupt restrictions in Nepal as unsettling. “India and Nepal share close ties, but international calls are costly—over ₹7 per minute. Families usually depend on social media to stay in touch, especially with daughters married across the border. The ban has left many distressed,” said Akash Pandey of Sonouli in Maharajganj
