In September 2025, Nepal witnessed one of the deadliest political uprisings in its modern political history—a youth-led anti-corruption movement without any party banners or ideological manifestos that toppled the government in power, reshaped political discourse, and sent shockwaves across South Asia’s geopolitical landscape. The movement, which began as online frustration against corruption and nepotism, escalated into a full-scale revolution that claimed at least 76 lives in just two days and fundamentally altered Nepal’s political trajectory. The origin of the uprising can be traced to months of discontent simmering among Nepal’s predominantly young population — where the median age is 25. A viral social media campaign against corruption was launched using the hashtag “#NepoBaby”, which highlighted the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children and other influential figures at a time when the average annual income of citizens is US$1,400. As this movement gained ground and galvanised anger among the public, the government, led by Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, banned 26 social media platforms on 4 September 2025 — including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Instagram — through which the campaign was being carried out. This was the immediate catalyst behind the uprising. On 8 September, Nepal’s youth-driven protest turned violent, leading to deadly clashes as police used force, including live ammunition, killing at least 19 protestors. By the next day, attacks on police stations and government buildings intensified, and around 14,000 inmates were freed amid widespread arson. Prime Minister Oli resigned, and the army was deployed. In the ensuing vacuum, over 10,000 users on a “Youth Against Corruption” forum chose Sushila Karki to succeed Oli. President Ram Chandra Poudel appointed her as Nepal’s first female Prime Minister, with elections set for 5 March 2026.
Nepal’s Gen Z Uprising: A New Test for India–China Dynamics (Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury, Subhangi Mukherjee – Observer Research Foundation)
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