Nepal's Youthquake: Parallel Paths of Disillusionment in South Asia

In September 2025, Nepal was rocked by youth-led protests after the government abruptly banned 26 social media platforms, from WhatsApp to YouTube. What began as anger against digital censorship quickly transformed into a nationwide movement exposing frustrations with corruption, privilege, and the state’s repeated failure to deliver stability. When Nepal’s government abruptly banned 26 social media platforms this September, it didn’t just silence apps - it ignited a generation.

Nepal’s Political Instability: A Historical Timeline

Before we delve into the current political scenario in Nepal, it is important to understand the backdrop that has shaped it. The current upheaval is not without precedent. While the social media ban and youth-led protests have captured international attention, political instability has long been woven into the country’s history. From monarchic dominance to civil war, and from fragile democratic experiments to frequent leadership crises, Nepal has repeatedly faced turbulence that tests its institutions and challenges its citizens’ trust in governance.

1. Absolute Monarchy and Rana Rule (1846–1951)

"For much of its history, Nepal’s political system was controlled by a small circle of hereditary rulers, leaving little scope for public participation or representative governance."

• The Rana family controlled the government as hereditary prime ministers.

• The king was reduced to a ceremonial figurehead, creating frustration among emerging political voices.

2. Early Experiment with Democracy (1951–1960)

"The first attempt at democratic governance was short-lived."

• 1951: Rana regime overthrown; King Tribhuvan restored power.

• 1959: B.P. Koirala became Nepal’s first elected prime minister.

• 1960: King Mahendra staged a coup, suspended democracy, and introduced the party-less Panchayat system.

3. Panchayat System and Authoritarian Rule (1960–1990)

"Political parties were banned, leaving citizens with limited avenues for participation."

• Panchayat system centralized power under the monarchy.

• Growing discontent led to underground political movements and calls for reform.

4. People’s Movement I (1990)

"Large-scale public demonstrations succeeded in dismantling absolute monarchy and paved the way for a constitutional democratic framework."

• Nationwide demonstrations forced King Birendra to accept multiparty democracy.

• Political parties were legalized; elections resumed, marking Nepal’s first democratic transition.

5. Maoist Insurgency (1996–2006)

"A decade-long civil war highlighted deep socio-economic divides."

• Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) launched armed struggle to abolish monarchy.

• Over 17,000 lives lost; instability dominated rural and urban areas.

6. Royal Massacre and Monarchy Crisis (2001–2006)

"Even the monarchy, traditionally seen as a stabilizing force, became embroiled in turmoil, turning into a catalyst for political crisis."

• 2001: Crown Prince Dipendra killed King Birendra and the royal family in a massacre.

• King Gyanendra took power and ruled with authoritarian control, facing increasing opposition.

7. People’s Movement II and Republican Transition (2006–2008)

"Persistent public protests finally dismantled the monarchy."

• Nationwide protests forced King Gyanendra to relinquish power.

• 2008: Nepal declared a federal democratic republic; monarchy abolished.

8. Frequent Government Changes (2008–2015)

"Nepal’s political scene became a revolving door of prime ministers."

• Short-lived coalitions and party splits caused repeated changes in leadership.

• Drafting a new constitution became a prolonged struggle.

9. New Constitution and Regional Tensions (2015)

"The 2015 constitution marked progress but sparked fresh unrest."

• Madhesi groups protested for representation, and India-Nepal relations were strained.

10. Recent Political Instability (2020s–Present)

"Even today, Nepal struggles with leadership crises and public unrest."

• Frequent PM changes (KP Oli, Deuba, Prachanda) continue.

• 2025 social media ban triggered Gen Z protests, police clashes, and PM Oli’s resignation, highlighting ongoing fragility

Nepal’s political history is a continuous tug-of-war between monarchy, authoritarian rule, and fledgling democracy, compounded by civil conflict and elite manipulation, leaving the country in recurring cycles of unrest. The present upheaval is hardly unprecedented. Since the country embraced republican democracy in 2008, Nepal has witnessed over a dozen prime ministers in just 17 years - an average tenure of barely a year each. This revolving door of leadership underscores a pattern of chronic instability. From monarchic dominance to a decade-long civil war, and from fragile democratic experiments to recurring coalition breakdowns, Nepal’s political journey has been marked by turbulence, repeatedly testing the resilience of its institutions and the patience of its people.

Nepal in Revolt: A Political Insurgency on the Brink

Before we examine the political architecture - possibly influenced by a so-called “deep state” - it’s essential to recognize that Nepal’s latest convulsion is not merely a social-media revolt, but a full-scale revolt against entrenched governance. What began as a Gen-Z-led protest against a sweeping social media ban has spiraled into a nationwide insurgency where symbolic institutions of power are literally going up in flames.

Since late August 2025, sprawling demonstrations have resulted in at least 19 deaths, over 300 injuries, and the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, who reportedly fled to a military barracks and may be en route to Dubai. Some protesters even attacked the homes of Nepal’s most prominent leaders, including ex-PM Sher Bahadur Deuba (who was assaulted alongside his wife, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba), former PM Jhala Nath Khanal (whose wife tragically died in a home fire), and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel, who was publicly humiliated and beaten in the streets .

Their rage culminated in arson targeting Singha Durbar, Parliament, and the Supreme Court, effectively reducing key institutions to smoldering ruins. The unrest, driven by deep frustration with corruption, nepotism, and dysfunctional governance, suggests that this is more than just a revolt - it is a full-blown political insurgency.

Some analysts propose that this crisis stems not solely from popular discontent but from grappling with an entrenched “deep state” - a hidden network of power that survives regimes and resists reform - positioning recent events as a generational reckoning with systemic decay. As Nepal stands at this crossroads, questions loom large: Is the collapse of old power a chance for renewal or a descent into chaos? The nation’s fate, for once, is uncertain.

Civilian Support Amid Crisis: Army, Essentials, and Relief Efforts

Amid the violent eruption of protests in Nepal, the Nepali Army has taken a frontline role in safeguarding civilians. Soldiers are now deployed 24/7 across key zones, especially around the burned-down Singha Durbar (Parliament building) and other high-risk areas.

In Birgunj, where local communities faced critical water shortages, the Shree Jung Battalion has been distributing around 100,000 litres of clean water daily, via six tanker trucks operating three times a day across multiple wards.

On the humanitarian support front, several 24-hour helplines remain functional even during the unrest, offering critical assistance to vulnerable groups:

National Women Commission (NWC) – 1145

Child Helpline (CWIN) – 1098

ASHA Crisis Centre – +(977) 14370160

TPO Nepal (Psychosocial Counseling) – 1660 010 2005

Rescue Police Hotline – 100

Beyond these, the government has also announced free medical treatment for the injured and compensation packages for families of the deceased, aiming to provide immediate relief amid mounting losses.

Nepal and Sri Lanka: Parallel Paths of Disillusionment

The turmoil in Nepal today echoes the collapse that swept across Sri Lanka in 2022. In Colombo, economic mismanagement, rising foreign debt, and shortages of food and fuel drove ordinary citizens into the streets. The once-powerful Rajapaksa dynasty was toppled as protestors stormed the presidential palace, demanding accountability. It was a revolution born not from ideology but from empty stomachs and unpaid bills.

Nepal’s present crisis carries a different spark, but the underlying anger is strikingly similar. Corruption, broken promises, and decades of political instability have left citizens with little trust in their leaders. The youth, particularly Gen Z, see social media not just as entertainment but as their public square, their voice, their freedom. When that voice was silenced, the rage spilled into the streets. Ministers fled, Parliament burned, and the army was forced into round-the-clock deployment just to hold the state together.

Both cases reveal a deeper pattern: fragile democracies across South Asia are collapsing not under foreign invasion, but under the weight of their own leaders’ failures. And both ask the same question - when the state itself becomes the source of crisis, can revolution truly rebuild, or does it only deepen the cycle of instability?

3 Lessons from Bangladesh: Authoritarian Control and Resistance Bangladesh presents a different face of the same regional fragility. Unlike Nepal or Sri Lanka, its unrest has not yet exploded into mass uprisings, but the warning signs are impossible to miss. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s long-dominant regime has consolidated power over the past decade through heavy-handed tactics: suppression of opposition parties, internet blackouts during protests, and restrictions on civil society and independent media.

At first glance, Bangladesh appears more stable. The economy has grown on the back of the garment industry, remittances, and infrastructural projects. Yet beneath this veneer of progress lies a growing fault line. Youth unemployment remains high, inequality deepens, and the political system feels closed to new entrants. For a country where more than half the population is under 35, this exclusion is a ticking time bomb.

The use of digital surveillance and censorship mirrors Nepal’s attempted social media ban, while the centralisation of power in a single family recalls Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksa dynasty. Bangladesh may not have faced a food riot or a stormed Parliament, but it carries the same vulnerabilities: corruption, dynastic control, and an alienated young majority.

The difference is only in timing. Where Nepal has already ignited and Sri Lanka has already collapsed, Bangladesh stands at the edge of a similar precipice—its crisis not yet in the open, but quietly brewing in the silences of its controlled streets

Across South Asia, three threads connect these upheavals:

1. Youth Disillusionment → Gen Z and millennials form the majority but feel excluded from decision-making.

2. Corruption & Elite Privilege → Anger at political families and entrenched elites who cycle power among themselves.

3. Fragile Democracies → Weak institutions make countries vulnerable to authoritarian swings or sudden unrest.

Global Significance

These upheavals are not confined within national boundaries. Given that South Asia is home to almost one-fourth of the global population, instability in the region inevitably generates transnational consequences, from migration flows to disruptions in trade and security alignments. Political breakdown in the region sends waves of migrants across continents, disrupts vital trade corridors that link East and West, and reshapes the balance of power in the Indian Ocean.

Crises in Kathmandu, Colombo, or Dhaka also draw in bigger players. China, with its Belt and Road investments, sees opportunity in fragile states; India, as the immediate neighbour, feels every tremor of instability; and Western powers worry about security, migration, and humanitarian fallout.

The message is clear: South Asia’s crises are never contained within national borders. The fire that begins in a capital city can travel across oceans - through people, markets, and geopolitics - making Nepal’s present turmoil, Sri Lanka’s past collapse, and Bangladesh’s simmering discontent matters of global concern. Political breakdown in Nepal, economic collapse in Sri Lanka, or authoritarian entrenchment in Bangladesh sends ripples across the region - impacting migration, trade routes, and geopolitics.

Conclusion: Between Freedom and Fear

Thomas Hobbes once wrote in Leviathan that without a strong sovereign, life becomes “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” Both Nepal and Sri Lanka demonstrate the modern irony: the sovereign exists, yet its legitimacy collapses under corruption and failure to provide basic security. Citizens, instead of being protected, are left at the mercy of shortages, broken promises, and state violence.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in contrast, believed that true sovereignty lies in the “general will” of the people. When rulers no longer reflect that will, rebellion becomes not only justified but inevitable. In both nations, the Gen Z protesters in Nepal and the economic protestors in Sri Lanka embody this Rousseauian revolt - the people reclaiming agency against a state that betrayed them. The crisis in Nepal is not an isolated moment of chaos - it is a mirror of South Asia’s deeper democratic anxieties. As youth movements grow louder, governments across the region face a choice: reform meaningfully or risk collapse under the weight of their own people’s frustration.

History repeats its lessons: the French Revolution began not with radical ideology but with bread riots. Today, it is not just food or fuel but freedom itself - freedom of speech, freedom from corruption - that becomes the rallying cry. Nepal’s ban on 26 platforms was not merely digital censorship; it was the spark to an already fuel-soaked forest.

John Locke argued that governments exist only through the consent of the governed - when they fail to protect rights and liberties, citizens are justified in withdrawing that consent. Nepal today stands at precisely such a crossroads. The uprising is not just about social media bans; it is about corruption, accountability, and the very legitimacy of the state.

Like Sri Lanka not long ago, Nepal’s crisis shows that South Asia’s democracies are fragile when institutions are weak and elites ignore the public will. Yet unlike the clarity of revolution or stability, Nepal’s present moment is painted in shades of grey

The pressing question, then, is philosophical as much as political: Is the toppling of corrupt governments a path to renewal - or merely another cycle of instability? The future of Nepal, like Sri Lanka, teeters between Rousseau’s dream of a true social contract and Hobbes’s nightmare of perpetual chaos

Revolutionising Youth Media.