Nepal’s prime minister resigns after 19 killed in protests against social media ban and corruption

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Nepal’s government lifted its ban on social media platforms Tuesday, a day after police opened fire on mass street protests against the ban, killing 19 people. (AP Video shot by Upendra Man Singh)

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Protesters vandalize Nepalese congress party central office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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Protesters vandalize and burn down Nepalese communist party office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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Protesters vandalize Nepalese congress party central office during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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An ambulance drives past protesters burning tires to block streets during protests against social media ban and corruption in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)

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FILE -The then newly elected Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli greets after the oath of office in President residence in Kathmandu, Nepal, July 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)

By  BINAJ GURUBACHARYAUpdated 4:03 AM MST, September 9, 2025Share

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Nepal’s prime minister resigned Tuesday as protests against a short-lived ban on social media grew increasingly violent and expanded into broader criticism of his government and accusations of corruption among the Himalayan country’s political elite.

Demonstrations led by young people angry about the blocking of several social media sites gripped the country’s capital a day earlier, and police opened fired on the crowds, killing 19 people.

The ban was lifted Tuesday, but the protests continued, with demonstrators setting fire to the homes of some of Nepal’s top leaders and the parliament building. The airport in the capital of Katmandu was shut, and army helicopters ferried some ministers to safe places.

As the protests intensified, Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli said he was stepping down immediately.

The demonstrations — called the protest of Gen Z — began after the government blocked platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, saying the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight.

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But even after the sites came back online, the rallies continued, fueled by anger over the deaths of protesters at the hands of police and growing frustration with the political elite in the nation wedged between China and India.