Riots Break Out In Nepal Against Social Media Ban; 20 Protesters Killed; Curfew Imposed
26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube banned in Nepal
Young people took to the streets in large numbers to protest against the social media ban in Nepal, which turned violent.
According to the international news agency, the “Generation Z” protest began at a national monument in the Maitighara area of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.
The protest was organized by the youth social organization Hami Nepal, which was founded in 2015. They say their main demand is the rule of law, transparency, and justice.
Thousands of young people gathered in the protests, wearing school and college uniforms and blocked the road and shouted strong slogans against the government.
The youth also expressed their dissatisfaction with the growing corruption in the country and demanded the resignation of the corrupt government.
The protesting youth say that taxes are collected, but their accounts are not available.
In addition, videos of the lavish lives of politicians’ children went viral on social media, which further increased public anger.
The situation worsened when some protesters broke through police barriers and entered the parliament. On which the police used tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets.
According to eyewitnesses, many people were taken to ambulances in a bloody state. So far, 20 people have been confirmed dead.
Dozens of injured are undergoing treatment in various hospitals. Dr. Deependra Pandey of the National Trauma Center said that at least 10 people were shot in the head and chest and their condition is critical.
After these clashes, curfew was imposed in different areas of the capital, but so far, the situation is beyond the control of the police.
It should be noted that several major scandals have come to light in the past years, but no transparent results of any investigation have been revealed so far.
These corruption cases include the 2017 Airbus deal, in which Nepal Airlines lost 1.47 billion rupees ($10.4 million) to the national exchequer for buying two A330 aircraft.
Several high-ranking officials were convicted of corruption, but public trust could not be restored.
It should be recalled that in Nepal, the government banned 26 major social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
The government had given these platforms until September 3 to register so that they could appoint local representatives and a person responsible for redressal of complaints.
A few platforms, such as TikTok and Viber, had registered, but most did not heed the government’s orders, which led to the ban on these websites.
It should be noted that about 90 percent of Nepal’s 30 million population uses the internet, and about 7.5 percent live abroad. This ban has caused severe hardship for the public.
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