The Gen Zs of Nepal began a social media movement against nepotism, privileges of those in power, and pervasive corruption that eventually forced resignations, including that of Prime Minister KPS Oli and his ministers, in the deadliest social unrest the country has seen in decades. Dark smoke covered the skies on September 8 and 9, 2025.

Over 50 lives, including that of a 12-year-old, were lost. Two nights of chaos saw thousands of people, mostly students, take over the streets of capital Kathmandu and other cities to make their voices heard.

The Supreme Court and Parliament buildings were set on fire as student-led protesters clashed with the armed forces on the streets.

The Nepalese government ordered 26 social media platforms to register with its Ministry of Communication. When companies failed to do so within the 7-day deadline, the platforms were blocked. Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, X were among these social media platforms. A digital-savvy Nepalese youth had had enough.

But the ban was just a catalyst and the Gen Z’s frustration ran deeper. Worsening youth unemployment and lack of economic development fuelled the movement.

"Perhaps there needed to be an extreme kind of protest that would change the very face of Nepal. Because unless, that happened, the old guard, old politicians, old leaders would find a way to keep holding on to power," said Pranaya Rana, a Nepal-based journalist.

And soon, Nepal was witnessing a protest like never before. Interestingly, the protest did not have any specific leader, just youth collectives that were calling to action.

Discord, a communication platform where users create and join “servers”, was used to coordinate the protest participation — suggesting protesters wear school uniforms and join peacefully. But eventually, the protest remained anything but peaceful.

On September 8, violence ensued when police used force — water cannons, batons, rubber bullets were used to quell the protest. Curfew were imposed but it became impossible to silence the brutal suppression.

Military forces patrolled the area and airports had to shut down briefly. Amid the chaos, the protesters stuck to their demands — the government put an end to corrupt practices and lift the ban on social media 19 people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed in the violence.

Yashwant Shah, former Nepal PM’s grandson said, "When the Gen Z called for this protest a lot of people came out. What happened was Gen Zs got the support from Gen X, which is the older generation. When so many people started pouring out, the government got scared and they didn’t want this to get out on social media. So they used force and things escalated. And then the police started firing. And that was a wrong move."

After casualties were reported, an emergency meeting was called and the ban on social media platforms was lifted on September 9. But the hounding of ministers and their family members and destruction of politicians' properties shows a different side to things.

The nation’s youth has been fed up, seeing politicians’ children posting about their lavish lifestyles when the regular youth was struggling to get by.

#NepoKids became a defining point of the massive outrage. Videos of politicians' kids and their luxurious lifestyle started doing rounds on social media.

Designer clothes, expensive trips and luxury cars juxtaposed the struggles of Nepal’s young people battling unemployment and financial distress. The slogans became symbolic of the persistent inequality. Oli was forced to step down amid the violence and unrest.

On September 10, an eerie calm settled over Nepal after two days of chaos as military soldiers patrol the streets. Protesters met with military officials in Kathmandu to discuss a transitional leader.

Nepal’s first female Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki took oath as the interim prime minister and became the first woman to hold the post. Her name was proposed by the Gen Z during negotiations.

"The important thing right now is to find a way to come together — for Gen Z and for the whole movement — and decide on what the way forward that is acceptable to them and not allowed the movement to be hijacked by the opportunists who are eating in the shadow for that moment," Rana said.

Will there be meaningful anti-corruption reforms and investigations into the protest casualties? Will Gen Z enter negotiations and get representation in the interim government? Only time will tell…