Nepal/Patna: At least 20 protesters were killed and more than 400 injured in clashes across Nepal after police opened fire on demonstrations led by young people angry over corruption and restrictions on social media.
Violent protests erupted across Nepal on September 9, with rioters setting fire to multiple government and party offices in Janakpurdham. The unrest began after security forces in Kathmandu fired on a crowd of demonstrators, killing 20 and injuring over 400.
In Janakpurdham, protesters torched the secretariat, the chief district officer’s office, the customs office, the district traffic office and several ward offices. Party offices of the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and CPN-Maoist were also targeted. Homes of senior political leaders, including former deputy prime ministers Bimalendra Nidhi and Raghuvir Mahaseth, were set ablaze.
The police offered little resistance, with eyewitnesses describing officers as silent spectators. The violence, led largely by Gen Z demonstrators, has spread beyond Kathmandu, intensifying in Madhes province and border districts.
The unrest has also disrupted cross-border links with India. The India-Nepal rail service has been suspended indefinitely, while security has been tightened along Bihar’s border districts. The Sashastra Seema Bal and Nepal’s Armed Police Force are maintaining strict vigilance to prevent spillover violence.
