The en masse uprising from youth in the form of widespread protests and violent clashes has forced the Nepal government to roll back its earlier order to put a blanket ban on 26 social media platforms. Unfortunately, the cost of the confrontation between security forces and Gen Z protesters resulted in the death of 20 people and over 300 seriously injured. The KP Sharma Oli led government announced late Monday it withdrew the contentious order with immediate effect.
The ruling government in the Himalayan country announced a ban of major social media platforms on Thursday, alleging that they failed to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. The ban including popular apps like Instagram, X , Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube etc. This controversial decision has invited huge outrage as youth of Nepal thronged the streets of Kathmandu as a mark of mass demonstration. What began as an anger over social media ban quickly escalated into a outrage over corruption and other allegations with online restrictions at the center of the uprising.
The government quickly deployed security personnel at all major areas and subsequently clashes have erupted between the protesters and the police forces on Monday, leaving 20 people dead and hundreds injured. The government immediately called for a cabinet meeting late in the night and the withdrawal was decided late on Tuesday morning. The Ministry of Information had instructed agencies to restore access to all 26 blocked platforms.
