Nepal is in the midst of a severe political and social crisis triggered by widespread youth-led protests. A deadly mixture of youth unemployment, corruption, authoritarianism, and general economic distress exploded over the weekend, taking with it not just the KP Sharma Oli government, but the entire political system with it.
What seemingly began as demonstrations against a government-imposed ban on major social media platforms has escalated into a broader uprising against corruption, economic stagnation, and the government system set up under the Constitution of 2015. The unrest, predominantly driven by the Gen Z cohort, has torched the dysfunctional system that gave the country 14 Prime Ministers in 17 years.
At times it has been a virtual merry-go-round that has seen Puspha Kamal Dahal aka Prachanda take office three times, KP Sharma Oli four times, and Sher Bahadur Deuba twice, (he had been Prime Minister three times earlier). The all-round attacks on politicians of all colours by the protestors in Kathmandu is a measure of the failure of the political class, regardless of their ideology to deliver even the rudiments of governance to the country.
The Nepal Army has now been deployed to restore order, with curfews and shoot-at-sight orders in place in several areas, including Kathmandu.
Meanwhile, a different battle of narratives has been playing out on news and social media in neighbouring India. As images of the violent people's uprising took over social media feeds, conspiracy theories of a US-led 'deep state' causing unrest in Nepal to instigate regime change started doing the rounds.
Others blamed the reckless Nepalese 'Gen Z' (who have since claimed that their protests were hijacked) for dousing the nation with violence, just to post a reel on TikTok. But beneath the shrill clamour of contrarian voices, Nepal's current crisis has been festering for decades. The outburst of resistance has followed years of misrule and economic inequality.