A sense of unease prevails in Nepal on a day when violent protests marred the capital.
Eyewitnesses said that the public rage was not due to a ban on social media, but due to an alleged police firing on unarmed youth and children between the ages of 10 and 28 years as they protested peacefully on September 8 against corruption in the government and against the social media ban.
Nepal protests: Updates on September 9, 2025
“This is a national movement now. It is not just the Gen Z, but even their parents and others who have taken to the streets. There is no limitation on the generation participating in the protest anymore. Why did they have to fire on innocent children and young people when they were protesting peacefully? That is what led to a trigger. The internet was never banned in Nepal. It was only YouTube, Facebook and Twitter (X) which were not working. TikTok was also not banned,” said Vinayak Adhikari, a 25-year-old health professional in Kathmandu (name changed to protect identity).
He said that the Army had taken over the security on Tuesday night (September 9, 2025). “Things look fine now. But we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Let me also tell you, the Gen Z did not cause vandalism. There were some outside elements which led to violence and vandalism. Many of the Gen Z protesters were themselves caught off guard. Their demand was the resignation of the Prime Minister and Home Minister, as well as addressing the issue of rampant corruption, along with the lifting of the ban on certain social media platforms. All the core demands seem to have been met now,” he said, refusing to reveal his name.
