On September 8, police opened fire on demonstrators protesting a government attempt to regulate social media. The Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak also resigned at an emergency Cabinet meeting called by PM Oli.Nepal lifted the ban on social media platforms on Tuesday (September 9), a day after violent protests left at least 19 people killed. A massive protest rally was witnessed in Kathmandu after Facebook, X, and YouTube, among others, were blocked last week.
Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said he was deeply saddened by the protest. He said the government was not in favor of stopping the use of social media and would ensure an environment for its use. The government will form a committee to investigate the incident and submit a report within 15 days.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic incident that took place during the protest called by the Gen-Z generation today. While we were confident that our children will peacefully voice their demands, the situation that arose due to the infiltration of the protest by various vested interests has resulted in the tragic loss of lives of citizens. The government was not in favor of stopping the use of social media and will ensure an environment for its use. There was no need to keep demonstrating for this. And, the situation will not be allowed to continue. I would like to assure you that an investigation committee will be formed to investigate and analyze today's entire events and damage, its condition and causes, and submit a report within 15 days to recommend steps to be taken to prevent such accidents in the future," Oli said.
On September 8, police opened fire on demonstrators protesting a government attempt to regulate social media. The Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak also resigned at an emergency Cabinet meeting called by PM Oli.
About two dozen social networks that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to register their companies officially, the government said. Those who failed to register have been blocked since last week.
The video-sharing app TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and operated without interruption.
Nepal in 2023 banned TikTok for disrupting "social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials." The ban was lifted last year after TikTok's executives pledged to comply with local laws, including a ban on pornographic sites that was passed in 2018.