Corruption, nepotism fuel violent protests

Nepal's government responded to escalating violent protests over a ban on popular social media platforms with deadly force.

- Associated Press

The public outrage over the ban and the deaths of 19 protesters on Monday led to the resignation of the prime minister and exposed deep discontent over corruption.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli also rolled backed the short-lived ban after protesters turned their anger on politicians by setting fire to homes of some of the country’s top leaders.

Led by mostly teenagers and young adults, the protests revealed a broader resentment in Nepal, where many people have increasingly become angry with the government over a range of issues, mostly to do with corruption and frustration over nepotism in the country's politics.

“Protests over the social media ban were just a catalyst. Frustrations over how the country is being run have long been simmering under the surface. People are very angry and Nepal finds itself in a very precarious situation,” said Prateek Pradhan, editor of Baahrakhari, a Nepalese independent news website.

Demonstrations in Nepal have been called the protest of Gen Z, which generally refers to people born between 1995 and 2010. They were largely in response to the ban that went into effect last week and government’s larger attempt to regulate social media through a bill that requires platforms to register and submit to local oversight and regulations.