Nepal Gen Z Protest: Why is Kathmandu Burning?
North East, Sep 10, 2025 : Kathmandu, the ancient city where prayer flags flutter against Himalayan winds and centuries-old stupas stand in silent witness, is now a stage for a new kind of upheaval. The streets, usually bustling with the rhythms of everyday life—rickshaws weaving through traffic, vendors calling out their wares—are alive with the voices of Generation Z, restless and resolute. The air is charged, not with festival music or monsoon thunder, but with chants, slogans, and the unmistakable energy of youth determined to shape their country’s future.
This movement did not erupt out of nowhere; rather, it’s the latest chapter in a saga of frustration that has simmered for years. The images emerging from Kathmandu—crowds swelling in Maitighar and Ratnapark, police clad in riot gear, clouds of tear gas curling through alleyways—are reminiscent of an epic remembrance: the 2021 and 2022 protests in Bangladesh’s Dhaka, where students and young professionals rose up against state indifference, corruption, and unemployment. Nepal’s scenario is, in many ways, a mirror to that Bangladeshi narrative—similar grievances, similar ideals, a similar hope flickering through uncertainty.
At the heart of Kathmandu’s unrest is a deep sense of disappointment with Nepal’s existing political order. Gen Z, born in the shadow of a protracted civil war and raised in the hope of a new republican dawn, now finds itself shackled by the very systems meant to liberate them. Unemployment rates for educated youth hover around record highs, as university graduates struggle to find meaningful work. Political infighting and corruption have become as perennial as the rhododendrons in the hills, choking the promise of a new Nepal. Government jobs remain elusive, and the private sector offers little solace. Social media, once a platform for entertainment and connection, has become a rallying cry—a space where TikTok videos and Instagram reels chronicle injustice, mobilize action, and amplify voices the mainstream often neglects.
The protests gained momentum following the government’s decision to restrict employment opportunities and curb freedoms online. For many, these measures felt like the last straw—an open affront to a generation already burdened by the pandemic, inflation, and an uncertain future. As night falls over Kathmandu, torch-lit processions wind through streets lined with shuttered shops, their glow a symbol of both anger and hope. Young Nepalis, draped in national flags, march shoulder to shoulder, demanding accountability, transparency, and their right to dream.
What makes this movement particularly unique is its spontaneity and digital roots. Unlike earlier political upheavals, Gen Z’s protest in Nepal is decentralized, leaderless, and born from the fast flows of information and emotion across social networks. WhatsApp groups mobilize hundreds within minutes. Viral tweets spark candlelight vigils. The city’s ancient squares now pulse with the heartbeat of a generation that has seen the world through screens, but refuses to confine its aspirations to the virtual realm.
There is a palpable sense that what happened in Bangladesh—in those nights when Dhaka burned with the light of youthful rebellion—is now being replicated in Nepal. The grievances are strikingly familiar: unchecked corruption, a stagnant economy, nepotism in government appointments, and a deepening disconnect between rulers and the ruled. The faces in Kathmandu’s crowds echo those in Dhaka—students, activists, artists, and ordinary workers, united in their desire for a better future.
Yet, amidst the turmoil, there is also a subtle poetry. The city’s chaos has an order of its own—like water finding its way through cracks in stone. Hope slithers through hardship, not unlike the Bagmati River weaving through the capital’s heart, sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed. The protests are not just cries of anger; they are songs of longing and belief, a tapestry of dreams woven by hands both youthful and wise.
As Nepal’s Gen Z continues to shape the course of their nation, the world watches. Kathmandu is burning—but from its embers, something new may rise. This is not merely a story of unrest, but of awakening: an epic remembrance of Bangladesh, now made manifest in Nepal. The youth are not asking for the moon; only for the chance to shape their own tomorrow—as bright and unpredictable as the Himalayan dawn.