Kathmandu, September 8
Kathmandu’s New Baneshwor became unrest on Monday as young demonstrators defied curfew orders, clashed with security forces, and even scaled the walls of Parliament to hoist Nepal’s national flag in a show of defiance against corruption, political decay, and the government’s controversial ban on social media.
What began as a peaceful protest quickly spiraled into one of the capital’s most volatile confrontations in recent memory. Students in school and college uniforms, backpacks still slung over their shoulders, streamed into the streets with placards and flags. They shouted slogans demanding accountability, justice, and the right to speak freely online.
But by midday, the confrontation had escalated. Police deployed tear gas and baton charges to scatter the swelling crowd. Dozens of rounds of tear gas canisters filled the air, sending waves of protesters retreating only to return moments later. In several instances, demonstrators attempted to push past security barriers into the restricted Parliament zone.
Amid the chaos, journalists became targets. Shyam Shrestha, a reporter with Kantipur Television, was struck in the arm by a rubber bullet while filming the protest. He was rushed to Civil Hospital for treatment, according to Kantipur’s Deputy News Chief, Rupesh Shrestha. Photojournalists Dipendra Dhungana of Naya Patrika and Umesh Karki of Nepal Press were also hit by rubber bullets while capturing images of the unfolding unrest.
The government’s response grew harsher as protesters broke into the outer perimeter of Parliament. Police fired rubber bullets and even resorted to aerial gunfire to drive demonstrators back. Despite this, a group of enraged youths managed to climb onto the roof of a security outpost, waving Nepal’s national flag and calling on fellow demonstrators to storm Parliament.
By 12:30 pm, the Kathmandu District Administration Office imposed a sweeping curfew across New Baneshwor, effective until 10 pm. The curfew, however, was openly flouted. Protesters continued to fill the streets, regrouping in Baneshwor Chowk and nearby intersections, chanting and clashing with security forces.
As tensions deepened, the Nepal Army was deployed to support the overwhelmed police force. Yet even the army’s presence failed to deter demonstrators. From throwing stones and water bottles at security personnel to lifting teenagers onto their shoulders to wave flags, the crowd’s defiance embodied a generation’s anger spilling into the open.
For Nepal’s Gen Z, the protest was not just about social media access. It was about systemic corruption, inequality, and leaders living lavishly while ordinary citizens struggle. What had long simmered in online spaces erupted on the streets with real urgency.
