Nineteen people have died and more than 300 have been injured after thousands of young Nepalese citizens hit the streets to protest the KP Sharma Oli government’s move to ban 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X. The protests, which started in the capital Kathmandu, have now spread to other areas of the Himalayan country. Curfew has been imposed in several areas, including Baneshwor, Singhadurbar, Narayanhiti, and sensitive government areas. Police have cracked down against protesters, firing rubber bullets and teargas shells. A young protester then appealed to the others to step back and claimed that vested groups have entered the crowd to provoke it. “We have already won today,” the protest leader said.
As the protests spiral, Prime Minister Oli has called a cabinet meeting this evening. The Army has been deployed in the New Baneshwor area after the protests turned violent.
Here’s What Led To Protests
The Social Media Ban
On Thursday, Nepal banned social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram, after they did not register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. A notice said social media giants were given a week to register with the government, starting August 28. But none — Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn – had submitted applications by the deadline.
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