Widespread protests against government corruption and the shutdown of 26 social media platforms have erupted in Nepal, leaving at least 14 people dead. Hundreds more have been injured after security forces opened fire on demonstrators on Monday morning.
Recently, the government of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli announced a ban on Facebook, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and 23 other social media platforms. In response, thousands of students and citizens took to the streets in Kathmandu, and the protests quickly spread to other parts of the Himalayan nation. Authorities have since imposed curfews across several districts of Kathmandu and deployed army troops to restore order.
Police fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons at the crowds in an effort to disperse them. One young protester urged others to remain calm, warning that vested groups were trying to incite violence. “We have already won today,” he said.
According to French news agency AFP, police clashed with demonstrators demanding an end to the social media ban and stronger action against corruption. Tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons left scores of people injured.
Local media outlet The Kathmandu Post reported that violent clashes broke out in Baneshwor, Kathmandu, where at least 14 protesters had been shot dead by 4 p.m. local time.
Dr. Dipendra Pandey of Nepal’s National Trauma Center said seven victims were brought in dead, while another 10 were in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the head and chest. More than 20 others were undergoing treatment at the hospital.
At Everest Hospital in Baneshwor, three protesters died while receiving treatment, said hospital official Anil Adhikari. Around 50 injured protesters remain hospitalized there, four of them in critical condition.
Meanwhile, Civil Hospital in Kathmandu confirmed two more protester deaths, according to its executive director Mohan Chandra Regmi. One protester each also died at KMC Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. The identities of the deceased have not yet been confirmed.