Is Nepal, Like Many Nations, Experiencing Youth Unrest?

New Delhi, Sep 9 (NationPress) The recent restoration of social media platforms in Nepal, following a government decision, may serve to ease the frustrations of Gen Z, who have been utilizing these channels to voice their discontent regarding issues like corruption, nepotism, and diminishing economic prospects.

The rise in violence, resulting in fatalities—which drew widespread condemnation—likely influenced this decision. Nepal’s history, marked by youth-led movements, adds to this context.

In early 2025, escalating dissatisfaction with ongoing political instability, corruption, and perceived shortcomings of Nepal’s federal republican framework reignited royalist sentiments.

Protests intensified into violent confrontations near Parliament on March 28, resulting in two deaths and triggering curfews and military interventions. The movement's leaders were arrested as chants of “bring back the king” resonated throughout the capital.

This marked a stark contrast to the anti-monarchy protests that peaked in the spring of 2006, known as ‘Jana Andolan (People’s Movement) II’, during which hundreds of thousands of students, youth organizations, civil society members, and political factions banded together in mass sit-ins, strikes, and demonstrations against King Gyanendra’s direct rule.

Their persistent advocacy compelled the monarch to reinstate parliament, ultimately leading to the official abolition of the monarchy and the establishment of Nepal as a federal democratic republic in 2008.

During the earlier ‘Jana Andolan I’ in 1990, students reignited mass mobilization alongside political parties, demanding a constitutional monarchy and multiparty elections.

Their sit-ins, general strikes, and demonstrations from April 6 to April 12, 1990, played a significant role in dismantling the Panchayat system, paving the way for Nepal’s inaugural constitutional democracy.

The journey toward democracy perhaps began with a struggle against the Rana regime, which dominated the kingdom for over a century. Youth were at the forefront of this movement from the mid-19th century until 1951, leading to the fall of the Rana oligarchy and setting the stage for Nepal’s first democratic experiment.

Throughout the late 1970s and into 1980, student activists—many inspired by Maoist ideologies—led protests against the Panchayat’s single-party rule. Their efforts catalyzed the 1980 national referendum on the Panchayat system, which, despite reaffirming the system, invigorated subsequent democratic movements.

Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan University has witnessed numerous agitations, with its students actively participating in movements both within and beyond campus.

Post-1990, student organizations aligned with the Congress and Communist factions shifted their focus to undermining one another, as reported by The Kathmandu Post on September 9.

Political historian Professor Rajesh Gautam noted that attention drifted from social issues and educational reforms, with student organizations becoming tainted by their leaders’ greed for power and wealth.

Himal Sharma, a member of the Maoist central committee and former president of the Free Student Union at Tribhuvan University, indicated that recent political conspiracies have hindered student elections.

Regular biennial elections, which continued until 2009, have become irregular, with the last partial elections occurring in 2017.

The protests by Gen Z in 2025 stand apart from previous youth and student movements, particularly due to their use of technology, organizational frameworks, and comprehensive demands, alongside the demographic diversity and state responses.

Reflecting trends seen in recent protests in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, these movements showcase young activists blending online skills with grassroots action, advocating not only for political reforms but also for a rethinking of power dynamics across all facets of life.