Overview

• Police said 16 people were confirmed dead and about 100 were hospitalized, while Kathmandu’s Civil Hospital reported treating more than 150 injured.
• Security forces deployed tear gas and water cannon after thousands moved toward barbed-wire barricades around the Parliament area and some tried to breach a police cordon.
• Local media carried anonymous claims that officers fired live rounds, a report AFP said it could not immediately verify.
• The protest was sparked by a ministry order blocking 26 platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, X and LinkedIn, under a 2023 Supreme Court-backed registration requirement.
• The government said the measure aims to protect users and promised to restore access once platforms apply for registration, as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s cabinet met urgently and demonstrators also decried entrenched corruption.