Trouble for Nepal PM? Another minister quits over crackdown on Gen Z protesters

Nepal's Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari resigned on Tuesday, citing the government's violent crackdown on youth-led protests against the ban on social media platforms, The Kathmandu Post reported. His resignation came a day after Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak also stepped down on moral grounds.

In his resignation letter, Nepali Congress lawmaker Adhikari said the state had chosen suppression over dialogue. Instead of recognising citizens’ natural right to question democracy and stage peaceful protests, the state responded with widespread suppression, killings, and use of force, moving the country towards authoritarianism rather than democracy, he wrote. He added that he could not remain in power without answers on how the government resorted to violent behaviour against a generation with which it should cooperate to build the nation.

The twin resignations deepened the political crisis after Monday's 'Gen Z Revolution' left at least 19 people dead and more than 300 injured across the country. The government later withdrew the ban on 26 platforms, including Facebook, X, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube, in an attempt to calm unrest.

Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced the reversal late Monday after an emergency Cabinet meeting. He said agencies had been instructed to resume access "as per the demands of Gen Z" and urged protesters to withdraw their agitation.

But public anger showed no signs of subsiding. Thousands of school and college students had marched to Parliament in Kathmandu, chanting slogans such as "Shut down corruption and not social media." Protesters breached barricades, prompting police to fire tear gas, water cannons and live rounds. Witnesses said the clashes turned fatal when security forces opened fire in multiple locations.

According to Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire, 17 people were killed in Kathmandu and two more died in Sunsari district. Hospitals across the capital reported being overwhelmed. The Kathmandu Post reported eight deaths at the National Trauma Centre, three at Everest Hospital, three at Civil Hospital, two at Kathmandu Medical College and one at Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital. Over 340 injured were admitted across facilities, including 100 at Civil Hospital and 102 at Everest Hospital.

The violence triggered curfews in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara, Butwal and Itahari. Army personnel were deployed around Parliament in New Baneshwor to secure key areas.

Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli expressed grief over the deaths but alleged that "infiltration by some unwanted elements in the peaceful demonstration" had forced the government to act. "The government did not intend to ban social media sites, but to regulate them," he said, while announcing a probe panel to report within 15 days.

Nepali Congress leader Gagan Thapa demanded that Oli himself step down. "Innocent youths have been killed unnecessarily. The prime minister must take responsibility for this suppression and step down immediately," he said.

The government on Thursday banned 26 social media sites for failing to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology within the given deadline. Although the government has clarified its stance that the social media sites were banned to bring them under regulation. But the general perception among the masses is that this will lead to an attack on free speech, and it may lead to censorship.