Nepal Protest Live Updates: Social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp and X came back into operation in Nepal on Monday night after violent protests by the youth against a government ban left at least 19 people dead and more than 300 injured.
Twenty-six social media sites were banned on Friday over their failure to register with the government. On Monday, massive protests rocked Kathmandu as thousands of youths, including school students, under the banner of ‘Gen Z’, staged a massive protest in front of the Parliament and shouted anti-government slogans demanding immediate revocation of the ban.
The demonstration turned violent when some protesters entered the Parliament complex, prompting police to use water cannons, tear gas, and live rounds to disperse crowds, eyewitnesses said. The protests also spread to Pokhara, Butwal, Bhairahawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who represented the Nepali Congress party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, resigned on moral grounds following the deadly clashes, sources said.
Amid escalating tensions, Nepal Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung said the government has ordered the concerned agencies to start the process of resuming the social media sites.
