At least 51 people have been confirmed dead in a deadly Nepal protest that has caught the attention of the global community since Monday.
Official reports from Police authorities revealed that 51 people were confirmed dead and about 12,500 prisoners are missing following the Nepal protest.
This was revealed by Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said on Friday, September 12, 2025.
Ghimire said that those killed so far this week included 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers, and 18 others, without elaborating. He added that about 1,300 people were injured as police fought to control crowds.
Ghimire said that: “About 13,500 prisoners had escaped – some have been recaptured, 12,533 are still at large.”
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that this comes after a violent anti-corruption demonstration, said to be led by Gen Z activists, has plunged the Himalayan nation into chaos, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and sparking widespread jailbreaks across the country.
“In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution,” Oli wrote in his letter to President Ramchandra Paudel on Tuesday after his administration was blamed for the bloodiest outbreaks of unrest in a decade.
The unrest, which over a controversial government ban on major social media platforms like WhatsApp and TikTok, quickly escalated into massive anti-graft protests targeting entrenched corruption, economic inequality, and political favoritism.
It was gathered that the Nepalese government last week announced its decision to ban 26 social media platforms, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, for failing to meet a deadline to register with the country’s Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
However, critics accused the government of allegedly seeking to stifle an anti-corruption campaign with the ban, which was repealed on Monday night.
While the ban was a catalyst for the current unrest, protesters are also channelling a more deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the country’s authorities.
What began as peaceful youth-led rallies in Kathmandu and other cities turned deadly when clashes erupted between demonstrators and security forces.
Recall that some Nepali youth protesters set parliament ablaze on Tuesday as the veteran prime minister obeyed furious crowds to quit.
Protesters flooded the streets of Kathmandu, some jubilant and celebrating, others setting fire to government buildings and brandishing automatic rifles.
Speaking on the protest, Prateek Pradhan, editor of Baahrakhari, a Nepalese independent news website said: “Protests over the social media ban were just a catalyst. Frustrations over how the country is being run have long been simmering under the surface. People are very angry and Nepal finds itself in a very precarious situation.”
Also, a protester Nima Tendi Sherpa, 19, was shot in the arm by police on Monday, while speaking with the press said the protests began peacefully but turned violent when security forces started firing at the protesters who were trying to break the police barricades.
Sherpa said: “I don’t have any harsh feelings toward the policemen. They were just doing their duty by following orders. But I am angry and enraged at the ones who gave those orders. Now that the fire has already started, I believe it must continue until we achieve true freedom.”
Following the escalation of the Nepal protest, the army imposed a curfew on the country.
The country’s army chief, Ashok Raj Sigdel, had said that the army had recovered more than 100 guns looted in the turmoil, with some protesters seen brandishing automatic rifles.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel and the army chief are said to be preparing to meet later on Friday to find a consensus interim leader to fill a political vacuum after the deadly protest.
“A meeting has been scheduled for this afternoon with the president, the army chief, former chief justice Sushila Karki, our representative Sudan Gurung, and one legal expert,” Nimesh Shrestha, who was part of the Gen Z protest, told the press.
