By Sara Sheikh* – Asia Times
Youth-led protests over social media ban force Prime Minister Oli’s resignation, underlining the political power of a new generation.
Nepal has entered a defining moment in its young democratic history.
On September 8, 2025, thousands of Gen Z protesters surged through the streets of Kathmandu and other cities, demanding accountability over entrenched corruption and opposing the government’s abrupt ban on social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Snapchat.
The protests quickly escalated, as security forces responded with lethal force, leaving at least 19 dead and hundreds injured. By September 9, the pressure proved insurmountable: Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli announced his resignation, plunging the country into fresh political uncertainty.
The protests, widely dubbed the “Gen Z protests,” mark a new era of civic activism in Nepal. Unlike previous movements dominated by older political factions or labor groups, these demonstrations are powered by digitally connected youth leveraging social media to expose the excesses of the political elite.
Campaigns such as “Nepo Kid” spotlighted the lifestyles of politicians’ families, amplifying public resentment over persistent corruption and nepotism. Protest signs demanded an end to oligarchic control, with slogans including “KP, you thief, leave the country” and “Nepal belongs to us, not the corrupt.”
The government’s response, which involved live ammunition, rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas, drew widespread condemnation. Videos circulated on social media, showing protesters shot in the head and chest, and reports emerged of curfews being imposed in major districts, including Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Pokhara, Butwal, and Jhapa.
Even as Prime Minister Oli attempted to assert authority, the protests gained momentum, highlighting both the futility of repression and the transformative power of collective citizen action.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned late Monday, citing moral responsibility, and the subsequent resignation of Oli on Tuesday confirmed that the protests had achieved a historic political breakthrough.
Witnesses reported that protesters defied curfews, set fire to tyres and municipal offices, and even targeted the homes of politicians. The intensity of civic mobilization not only forced political resignations but also signaled a shift in the balance of power between the governed and the governing in South Asia.
Nepal’s political instability is not new. Since the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, the country has experienced thirteen governments, often revolving among the same three figures: Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Despite coalition agreements and promises of reform, public disillusionment has steadily grown, fueled by bureaucratic inefficiency, stalled constitutional amendments, and persistent corruption.
Yet the Gen Z protests demonstrated that citizen engagement, particularly when digitally enabled can rapidly challenge entrenched systems, forcing even the most established leaders to yield.
The significance of these protests extends beyond Nepal. Regional observers note parallels with Bangladesh, where public dissatisfaction similarly influenced political outcomes earlier this year under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In both cases, large-scale civic mobilizations, whether in response to governance failures, corruption or digital censorship, illustrate a growing trend in South Asia: the capacity of citizens, particularly youth, to exert tangible influence on national leadership.
In Bangladesh, grassroots movements forced the government to recalibrate policies and approach dissent with more responsiveness, demonstrating that even established governments are not immune to the collective power of the populace. Nepal’s resignation of PM Oli underscores this evolving dynamic, revealing that digital activism and public pressure can no longer be underestimated as instruments of political accountability.
Human rights organizations, including the UNHRC and Amnesty International, condemned the violent suppression of protesters, emphasizing that both Nepal’s constitution and international law protect the right to peaceful assembly.
Yet critics have long argued that national institutions, including the National Human Rights Commission, lack the authority or political will to enforce accountability effectively. The September 8 protests, therefore, represent a convergence of civic agency, social media mobilization, and international scrutiny, creating conditions that made the Prime Minister’s resignation inevitable.
Nepal’s Gen Z protests are emblematic of a broader generational demand for transparency and accountability in governance. In contrast to older protest movements, which often relied on labor unions or traditional party structures, this wave harnessed digital platforms to organize, communicate, and document abuses.
The success of these protests in compelling leadership change highlights a critical shift: in an era of instant information and transnational awareness, governments can no longer operate with impunity, and citizen power has become a decisive factor in shaping political trajectories.
As Nepal confronts the aftermath of the resignations, the immediate questions concern political succession and the durability of reforms. Yet the more enduring lesson is evident: public mobilization, especially when amplified by digital connectivity, has emerged as a potent force in South Asian politics.
From Kathmandu to Dhaka, the message is clear: governments must heed the voices of citizens or risk being overtaken by them. The resignations of Nepal’s prime minister and home minister signal that even long-entrenched political systems are vulnerable when confronted by organized, determined, and digitally empowered publics.
In the regional context, the Nepal protests, alongside the recent Bangladesh mobilizations, suggest a shifting geopolitical landscape in South Asia, where citizen-driven movements are increasingly influencing domestic politics and governance policies.
This emerging trend reflects a democratization of power, facilitated by technology, and serves as a warning to political elites: authority today is contingent not solely on institutional position but on legitimacy conferred by the populace itself.
In conclusion, Nepal’s Gen Z protests mark a watershed moment, demonstrating the potency of citizen activism in confronting corruption, challenging censorship, and compelling leadership change.
Oli’s resignation is more than a political event; it is a testament to the transformative power of collective public action and a harbinger of an era in which governments in South Asia must remain accountable to a digitally connected, socially conscious and politically assertive citizenry.
*Sara Sheikh is an Islamabad based political analyst.