Nepal Home Minister Quits After Deadly Social Media Protests

Ramesh Lekhak.

Nepal’s Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned on Monday after 19 people were killed and more than 400 injured during youth-led protests against a social media ban and alleged government corruption.

He submitted his resignation to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli during a Cabinet meeting at the prime minister’s residence in Baluwatar on Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, the Nepalese army was deployed to control the unrest after authorities imposed a curfew as demonstrations spiralled into violence.

According to hospital officials, at least 17 people died in Kathmandu alone, while two protesters in Sunsari, who were shot during clashes in Itahari, later succumbed to their injuries. Dozens remain in critical condition.

The protests erupted after the government blocked access to several social media platforms, including Facebook, citing their failure to register with authorities. Officials argued that fake accounts were being used to spread hate speech, misinformation, and commit fraud and other crimes.