At least 16 people were killed and several injured on Monday as Nepal police opened fire on protesters demonstrating against a government ban on social media sites in Kathmandu.
“Sixteen people have sadly died,” Shekhar Khanal, spokesman for the Kathmandu valley police, told AFP. “About 100 are under treatment, including police.”
The Army has been deployed to control the situation, military officials said.
Six people died at the Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, the Kantipur newspaper said, quoting doctors. Two died at the Civil Hospital and two more at the KMC hospital, according to doctors there who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to comment.
The wounded were being treated at half a dozen hospitals in Kathmandu.
Ranjana Nepal, information officer at the nearby Civil Hospital, said their emergency ward was packed with those injured, reported AFP.
Thousands of youths, including school students, under the banner of ‘Gen Z’, clashed with the riot police in front of the Parliament building in Kathmandu.
The protests turned violent when some agitators entered the Parliament complex, prompting police to resort to baton charges, tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd, PTI reported citing eyewitnesses.
Several social media sites — including Facebook, YouTube and X — have been inaccessible in Nepal since Friday after the government blocked 26 unregistered platforms, leaving users angry and confused.
The Kathmandu District Administration issued a prohibitory order from 12:30 pm to 10:00 pm in areas surrounding the Parliament building to curb the unrest.
“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.
The local administration later extended the restrictive order to various areas surrounding Rastrapati Bhawan, the Vice-President’s residence and the Prime Minister’s Office.
Waving national flags, young demonstrators in the capital city Kathmandu started the protest with the national anthem before unleashing chants against the social media prohibitions and corruption.
“Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the crowds chanted, waving the red and blue national flags.
Protesters pushed through barbed wires and forced riot police to retreat as they surrounded the Parliament building. Police fired tear gas and water cannon but were outnumbered and sought safety inside the Parliament complex.
“Tear gas and water cannons were used after the protestors breached into the restricted area,” police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told AFP. “Many on both sides are injured.”
Popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in Nepal who rely on them for entertainment, news and business.
“We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here,” said student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24.
“We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal,” he said.
Similar protests have been organised in other cities as well.