Nepalese authorities lifted a curfew in the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding districts Saturday as calm returned to the streets following mass protests this week that left at least 51 people dead and precipitated the collapse of the government.
The curfew, imposed late Tuesday and relaxed in recent days to allow residents limited hours for essentials, was scrapped after markets reopened and traffic resumed in Kathmandu and the neighboring Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts. The unrest began Monday over a brief government ban on social media platforms and quickly escalated into widespread violence that included attacks on government buildings and clashes with security forces.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators overwhelmed security forces, torching the parliament building, the presidential residence and numerous businesses. Police opened fire during clashes, and authorities reported that many of the dead were protesters struck by live rounds. Some fatalities also occurred during attempted prison breakouts, and three police officers were among those killed, officials said. The government initially said it had imposed the platform ban because companies had failed to register and submit to oversight, but authorities later rescinded the move.
On Friday, President Ram Chandra Poudel dissolved parliament and appointed former Supreme Court Chief Justice Sushila Karki as interim prime minister, setting national elections for March 5. Karki, 73, who served as Nepal’s first and only female chief justice in 2016 and 2017 and won public recognition for anti-corruption rulings, was sworn in later Friday. She visited injured protesters at Kathmandu’s Civil Hospital on her first day in office and told a wounded demonstrator, "I will work with everything I have." She did not speak to reporters outside the hospital.
Karki takes over after Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli resigned and left his official residence as the unrest grew. The army was deployed to secure key areas during the worst of the violence, and negotiators representing protesters, the military and the presidency engaged in talks to establish an interim administration.
Organizers who called the demonstrations the "protest of Gen Z" said the movement stemmed from more than the social media ban. Many young people expressed anger over entrenched political privilege and what they called the outsized advantages of relatives of political elites, often referred to as "nepo kids," amid high youth unemployment and a lack of economic opportunities. Those broader grievances persisted even after the platforms were unblocked, contributing to the scale and intensity of the unrest.
Authorities said the curfew had been enforced to allow time-limited access for residents to buy food and supplies; security forces gradually opened roads and permitted movement in parts of the capital before lifting the restriction entirely on Saturday. Officials have not provided a full public accounting of arrests or damage estimates, and investigations into the violence and the use of force by police are expected.
Nepal last held legislative elections in 2022. With the dissolution of parliament and the appointment of an interim prime minister, the country now heads toward national elections on March 5 under heightened scrutiny from domestic observers and the international community as it seeks to restore order and democratic processes.