Kathmandu, September 9
The second day of Nepal’s Generation-Z protest has plunged the country into unprecedented unrest, marking one of the fiercest youth-led movements in recent history. Sparked by outrage over corruption and the government’s controversial attempt to restrict social media, the demonstrations have quickly transformed into a nationwide uprising against state repression.
On Monday, police crackdowns left at least 19 protesters dead and more than 400 injured, according to hospital and eyewitness accounts. Instead of silencing dissent, the bloodshed ignited a wave of anger that spilled into the streets on Tuesday, stretching from the capital to the country’s far-flung provinces.
By midday, Kathmandu resembled a city under siege. Thick plumes of smoke rose into the skyline as protesters torched police posts in Baluwatar, Basundhara, Lokanthali, and Sheshmati. At Kalanki, security forces opened fire, injuring four demonstrators. Tear gas blanketed New Baneshwor, where youths defiantly returned to the streets despite a strict curfew. “They can shoot, they can beat us, but they cannot silence us,” shouted a protester, holding a placard demanding justice for the slain.
The anger was not confined to the capital. In Biratnagar, Biratmode, and Dhangadhi, gunfire rang out as security personnel clashed with crowds. At least two protesters sustained critical gunshot wounds in Jhapa. In the far west, enraged youths stormed the Sudurpaschim Chief Minister’s Office, while in Kailali, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba’s under-construction home was set ablaze. Energy Minister Dipak Khadka’s residence in Budhanilkantha met a similar fate.
The political fallout was swift. Water Supply Minister Pradeep Yadav resigned, openly aligning himself with the protesters. “The youth are the source of my strength,” he declared in his resignation letter, condemning the state’s use of lethal force. Meanwhile, singer Durgesh Thapa canceled his UK tour, vowing to return home and join the demonstrations, a move that resonated with the movement’s cultural dimension.
The ruling Nepali Congress, itself under pressure, faced rebellion from within. Its student wing, the Nepal Student Union (NSU), hit the streets, demanding the government step down. Protesters ransacked the party’s headquarters in Sanepa, symbolising disillusionment with the very establishment many blame for enabling corruption. In Kapilvastu, an NSU vice-president resigned, declaring that the organisation had lost its moral ground by failing to protect students from bullets.
Even allies of the ruling coalition are fracturing. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) announced its lawmakers would resign en masse, signaling a deeper crisis of governance. Former Federation of Nepali Journalists president Shiva Gaunle, writing on social media, declared the government had already “lost its political legitimacy.”
Hospitals continue to be overwhelmed. At Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, forensic experts confirmed receiving 16 bodies for autopsy. At the Trauma Center, surgeons worked through the night extracting rubber bullets and treating gunshot injuries. “We performed at least 10–12 operations yesterday alone,” said neurosurgeon Dr Rajiv Jha.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called for an all-party meeting at 6 pm, appealing for dialogue. But for many on the streets, the government’s credibility has evaporated. Chants of “Down with corruption! Down with repression!” reverberate across the capital, echoing a generational demand for accountability and reform.
The Generation-Z movement, leaderless yet relentless, has struck a raw nerve in Nepal’s fragile democracy. What began as a protest against censorship now carries the weight of a national reckoning a battle between a rising youth force and an old political order clinging to power.
Amongst these scenario, one question looms large: Will the government negotiate with its youngest citizens, or will Nepal’s streets see more blood before change comes?
