Gen Z Protest in Nepal Updates

Nepal Gen-Z Protest: How It Unfolded

How the protest started?

The immediate spark was the government’s decision to block many major social-media platforms (reported as a ban on dozens of services). Young people who had been mobilizing online over corruption, “nepo-kids” and inequality, mainly Gen-Z users on TikTok Instagram and Facebook organized street rallies in response. What began as online anger coalesced into mass street protests in Kathmandu and other cities on 8 Sept.

Hourly timeline

Monday 8 September 2025

• 06:00–09:00 — Local organising & mobilization online, small local gatherings

  • Youth and student networks that had been active online (TikTok/Viber/other apps) mobilized people to gather at key central locations (Maitighar Mandala, near Parliament/New Baneshwor). Reports identify the movement as largely Gen-Z and internet-born.

• 09:00–12:00 — Crowds grow; marches head toward central government district

  • Tens of thousands converged on central Kathmandu spots; the demonstrations were reported as peaceful initially and highly youth-dominated. March moves towards Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC).

• 12:00–14:00 — Larger concentration around Parliament; police presence increases

  • Security forces deployed barriers, riot police and water cannon in front of the Federal Parliament area as protesters pressed toward restricted zones.

• 14:00–15:00 — Clashes escalate: tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets

  • Police deploying non-lethal crowd control (tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets) as protesters tried to enter restricted government areas. Human Rights Watch notes escalation and excessive force.

  • Multiple outlets report police used excessive forces to control the crowd.

• 18:00–21:00 — Violence intensifies; live ammunition reported, fatalities occur

  • Several sources report security forces firing live rounds; by late evening multiple people were killed and hundreds injured. Nepalese Medias report the first confirmed fatalities and dozens of injuries in this period. By the time death toll have crossed 19 with more than 150 injured.

• 21:00–24:00 — Government begins to react

  • Reports of protesters trying to enter/parliament precincts and of some buildings (or parts of government premises) being set on fire surface overnight. The government is reported to have begun reversing the online ban late on 8 Sept.

  • Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned from his position, and the government lifted the social media ban.

Early Tuesday 9 September 2025

• 00:00–03:00 — Ban on social media formally lifted (reported); curfews ordered in major cities

  • Several outlets report that the government lifted the social-media restrictions late on 8 Sept / early on 9 Sept in response to the unrest and that curfews were imposed in parts of Kathmandu and other cities.

• 09:00–12:00 — Continued unrest; protesters target politicians’ residences and government offices

  • Overnight and early-morning scenes show protesters attacking or burning official buildings and some politicians’ houses; unrest continued despite curfews.

• 09:00–12:00 — PM K.P. Sharma Oli resigns (reported); army presence increases

  • The army was called in or positioned to help restore order as key government buildings had been attacked.

  • Major government buildings were attacked, and politicians and ministers fled by helicopter.

  • The Prime Minister called an all-party meeting at 18:00, but the protests intensified.

  • Major outlets report the resignation of Prime Minister Oli after the deaths and the widening unrest.

• 12:00–20:00 — Protests continue nationwide; official calls for calm; investigations demanded

  • The army was called in or positioned to help restore order as key government buildings had been attacked.

  • Major government buildings were attacked,

  • The Supreme Court building was attacked and burned.

  • The President’s residence at Sital Niwas was targeted.

  • The Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar was attacked.

  • The Federal Parliament building was torched.

  • The UML party headquarters was destroyed by fire.

  • Several media offices were ransacked.

  • Vehicles were set ablaze across Kathmandu.

  • Government infrastructure and property were vandalized.

  • Demonstrations continued across multiple cities, with rights groups calling for accountability for the use of lethal force.

• 20:00–22:00 — Army, Influencer and Leaders requested to keep calm

  • Army officials, social media influencers, and political leaders issued appeals urging protesters to remain calm and maintain peace and urge army to take charge of national security.

• s20:00 onwards — Army deployed, multiple people arrested

  • The Nepal Army deployed nationwide to restore order, with patrols in key areas and warnings of further intervention if unrest continued.

  • Multiple people were arrested by army overnight.