Police in Kathmandu opened fire Monday on protesters outside the federal parliament, killing at least 11 people and wounding dozens more during demonstrations against a government decision to block most major social media platforms.
Seven people died at the National Trauma Center, and 58 wounded were being treated there, Dr. Badri Risal said, describing several patients as “in serious condition and appear to have been shot in the head and chest.” Two people died at Civil Hospital and two more at KMC Hospital, doctors at those facilities said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Families waited outside hospital doors while crowds lined up to donate blood.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered in the heart of Kathmandu to protest a recent government move to block about two dozen widely used platforms — including Facebook, X and YouTube — after the companies repeatedly failed to register operations in Nepal, officials said. Demonstrators pushed through barbed wire, surrounded the Parliament building and forced riot police to retreat. Police used tear gas and water cannon before firing on the crowds.
Authorities imposed a curfew Monday for areas around Parliament, the government secretariat, the presidential residence and other parts of the capital as the situation remained tense. Protesters, many of them young people who called the rally the “protest of Gen Z,” chanted against the social media ban and government corruption while waving Nepal’s red-and-blue national flags.
The government says the measures are part of a bill sent to Parliament that aims to ensure social media platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable,” including requirements that companies appoint a local liaison or point of contact. Officials say platforms that failed to register have been blocked since last week; a handful of services, including TikTok and Viber, registered and continue to operate.
Rights groups and opposition figures have criticized the bill as an effort to censor dissent and restrict freedom of expression. Nepal previously banned TikTok in 2023, citing threats to “social harmony,” and lifted that ban last year after the company agreed to comply with local rules. Lawmakers also approved a ban on pornographic websites in 2018.
Eyewitnesses and video posted online showed chaotic scenes as some protesters clashed with police, and at least one building was set ablaze amid the unrest. Medical staff said the wounded were being treated at multiple hospitals across Kathmandu.
The government has not provided an immediate public casualty toll beyond hospital reports. Officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the use of live ammunition. Human rights organizations have called for an independent inquiry into the events and restraint in crowd-control measures.
Monday’s violence marked one of the deadliest crackdowns in recent years in Nepal’s capital and added to fears of escalating unrest as Parliament prepares to debate the bill that prompted the demonstrations. The country’s political leaders face mounting pressure to address protesters’ demands while balancing what they say are measures to regulate online platforms operating within Nepal.
