Nepal PM resigns after deadly protests over social media ban

Mass youth-led protests over a government ban on major social media platforms erupted into deadly clashes in Kathmandu and other Nepali cities on September 8 and 9, leaving scores injured, dozens dead and the country’s political order in turmoil. Security forces fired on crowds attempting to breach the parliament complex, officials and hospital sources said, and the unrest prompted a curfew, deployment of the army and the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli along with several ministers.

The demonstrations began after the government announced it would deactivate 26 unregistered social media services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and X, unless they complied with a short registration deadline. The ban, critics said, was widely viewed as censorship and touched off a Gen Z-led movement that expanded into broader antigovernment protests over corruption and unemployment. Organisers and eyewitnesses said thousands of students and young people gathered outside Parliament in New Baneshwar, pushing through barricades before security forces used water cannon, tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds to disperse them.

Casualty figures differ among sources. Police and...