Kathmandu, Sept 9: Social media platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, and X resumed operations in Nepal on Monday night after violent protests against a government ban left at least 19 people dead and over 300 injured.
The government had imposed a ban on 26 social media sites last Friday, citing their failure to register with authorities. The move triggered widespread outrage among the youth. On Monday, thousands of young people, including school students, rallied under the banner of ‘Gen Z’ in front of the Parliament in Kathmandu, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the ban.
The protest escalated when some demonstrators entered the Parliament complex, prompting security forces to use water cannons, tear gas, and even live rounds to disperse the crowds, eyewitnesses reported. Unrest soon spread to other major cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari, and Damak.
In the wake of the deadly clashes, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, representing the Nepali Congress in Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s coalition government, resigned on moral grounds, according to sources.
Amid mounting tensions, Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that concerned agencies had been directed to initiate the process of restoring the banned social media sites.
