Nepal protests in photos: Gen Z rebels against corruption and stifled freedom
The students-led protests in Nepal, just like in Bangladesh, reflect the frustration and anger of youth seeking a regime change with the hope of a better future
First, it was Sri Lanka, then Bangladesh, and now it’s Nepal. The pictures are eerily similar — youths in a fit of rage, a “burning” country, and a direct challenge to those in the seat of power. The reasons are different and so are the faces, but the photos tell the same story: Youths at the end of their tether asking for a regime change with the hope of a better future.
In Nepal, what seemingly sparked the fire was a near-blanket ban on the most popular social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram, and YouTube, among others. But there are evidently other underlying issues deeper than that.
The “Gen Z” group, which has been campaigning against corruption for some time, used social media platforms like Reddit and Instagram to expose what they called the “extravagant lifestyles of the children of ministers and other influential figures”. They posted videos and images, questioning the sources of wealth that funded such opulence. The ban of social media sites was an attempt to suppress freedom of speech, they said.
The students-led protests — just like in Bangladesh — reflect the growing public anger with the political class over alleged corruption, with demonstrators gathering in the heart of Kathmandu and elsewhere on Tuesday (September 9) despite 19 deaths the day before, curfews and heavy deployment of security forces.
And what do they want? They demand the establishment of a new government, guaranteed freedom of expression, and the introduction of a retirement age for those holding political office, according to the Gen Z activists leading the protests.
Here are some dramatic photos from the Nepal protests.
A protester wearing a policeman's jacket and carrying a shield shouts slogans at the Singha Durbar in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Demonstrations were reported on Tuesday from Kalanki, Kalimati, Tahachal, and Baneshwor in Kathmandu, as well as Chyasal, Chapagau, and Thecho areas of Lalitpur district. Protesters, mostly students, chanted slogans such as “Don’t kill students”, defying the restrictions on public gatherings | AP/PTI
Students raise slogans in Kathmandu on Monday (September 8). The protesters, under the banner of Gen Z, shouted slogans such as “KP Chor, Desh Chhod” (KP thief, leave the country) and “Take Action Against Corrupt Leaders”. Numerous posts on social media called for Oli’s resignation (which he did) and the establishment of a new government | PTI Photo
A protester throws a photograph of Nepal Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli in the fire at the Singha Durbar in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Oli resigned after hundreds of protesters entered his office shouting slogans demanding his resignation for the death of at least 19 people in police action during the protests on Monday | AP/PTI
People and protesters throng Singha Durbar as smoke billows out from inside, in Kathmandu on Tuesday | AP/PTI
A protester shouts slogans carrying Nepal's national flag after burning down a police station in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Hours before Oli’s resignation, protesters set on fire his private house in Balkot, and attacked residences of former prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung, and Former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, among others | AP/PTI
People look at a burnt police vehicle during protests in Kathmandu on Tuesday. In Kalanki, demonstrators burnt tyres to block roads | AP/PTI
Protesters vandalize Nepalese Congress party's central office in Kathmandu on Tuesday | AP/PTI
Riot police use a water cannon on protesters outside Parliament in Kathmandu on Monday | AP/PTI
A motorcyclist drives past a burning police station during protests in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The agitating youths also pelted stones at the residence of Communication Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung in Sunakothi at Lalitpur district. Gurung had ordered the ban on the social media sites | AP/PTI
Protesters burn vehicles and tyres in Kathmandu on Tuesday. Among the properties vandalised by the protesters were the private residence of President Ram Chandra Poudel and former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba's house at Budhanilkantha in Kathmandu | AP/PTI