At the time of writing this article, at least eight people died and over 100 were injured after Gen Z protestors filled the roads in Kathmandu city of Nepal over the ban of social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube. Curfew has been imposed in the city and other areas, including Baneshwor, Singhadurbar, Narayanhiti, after agitators tried to set the Parliament building on fire.
Also Read | Nepal Protest: At Least 8 Killed, Over 100 Injured, Shoot-at-Sight Order Issued.
To control protestors, police applied a lathi charge, fired rubber bullets and teargas shells on the violent protestors. According to the information, young protestors asked others to stay back and said that vested groups have entered the crowd to provoke it. "We have already won today," the protest leader said.
Prime Minister Oil has called an urgent cabinet meeting this evening. The law enforcement agencies were deployed on the ground to control the riot-like situation in the New Baneshwor area.
Why Social Media Ban in Nepal?
The Nepali government banned social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram, after they did not register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, according to the NDTV World Report. According to the government, a notice was served to social media platforms a week to register with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
A notice said social media giants were given a week to register with the government, starting August 28. But none -- Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Alphabet (YouTube), X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and LinkedIn - had submitted applications by the deadline.
Even the Nepali Supreme Court has also issued an order asking social media platforms to establish a point of contact and name a resident grievance handling officer and compliance officer. TikTok, Viber, Witk, Nimbuzz, and Popo Live are registered with the government and continue to be in use in Nepal. Applications from Telegram and Global Diary are being examined, it is learnt, according to NDTV.
Social Media Users in Nepal
As per local reports, the number of Facebook users in the country at around 13.5 million and Instagram at around 3.6 million. Many rely on social media for their business. As the social media platforms went down in Nepal, those affected started protesting. The demonstrations against the social media ban then snowballed into an anti-corruption protest.
Nepal Government On Social Media Ban
The Nepal government issued an advisory on Sunday that it respects freedom of thought and expression and is committed to creating an environment for their protection and unfettered use. Earlier, the government blocked access to Telegram, citing that the secure platform was being used for online fraud and money laundering activities.
Last year, after India, the government also banned the Chinese application TikTok. The ban was lifted in August after the platform agreed to comply with Nepali regulations.