2025: When Gen-Z street protests toppled Nepal's govt

Kathmandu: Nepal witnessed a political turmoil in 2025 as massive street protests led by Gen Z against corruption, nepotism, and a social media ban escalated into violence, ultimately leading to the ouster of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli's coalition government.

The political turbulence in September led to former Chief Justice Sushila Karki taking the oath as Nepal's first woman prime minister, albeit for an interim government. She promptly announced that fresh elections would be held on March 5, 2026, a year ahead of the scheduled 2027.

Weeks before the violent protests, the atmosphere was simmering with online campaigns targeting the "Nepo babes" or "Nepo kids" — children of political elites flaunting lavish lifestyles allegedly funded by their parents’ ill-gotten money through corruption.

However, what began as a digital dissent quickly escalated into a full-fledged nationwide movement. The mass Gen Z demonstrations erupted on September 8 and 9, leaving at least 77 people dead.

Angry over deaths, protesters burnt and vandalised key government buildings, including the Parliament, Prime Minister's Office and residence, Supreme Court, administrative offices and police posts across Nepal.

After Oli, the chairman of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), was forced to quit, President Ramchandra Paudel appointed Karki as the caretaker PM on September 12.

The September protests were not the only ones that rocked the Himalayan nation. A certain section of the masses demanded restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu state, a whole decade after Nepal abolished royalty and adopted a Constitution in September 2015.

Two civilians, including a photojournalist, were killed and scores of others injured when pro-monarchists clashed with the riot police in Kathmandu on March 28.

Oli, known as pro-China, resigned on September 9, making history as the first Nepalese prime minister not to visit India during his term, despite a scheduled visit on September 16.

He had visited China after taking over last year, in a major departure from past practices when Nepal PMs travelled to India on their first foreign visit.

Oli had met Modi in April in Bangkok on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC summit.

Towards the end of the year, Nepal irked India by issuing a new Rs 100 note, featuring a map that includes Kalapani, Lipulekh, and Limpiyadhura — territories that belong to India. In the past, India has slammed Nepal’s action to incorporate these areas into the map, saying "any unilateral artificial enlargement of territorial claims is untenable."

One of the three, Lipulekh, was also dragged into a trilateral issue. Nepal objected to the resumption of border trade between India and China through Lipulekh in August.

New Delhi said that border trade between India and China through Lipulekh Pass commenced in 1954 and continued through the decades.

Disrupted in recent years due to Covid and other developments, both sides agreed to resume it now, India said, and termed the territorial claims as "neither justified nor based on historical facts and evidence." In June, Indian pilgrims for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra were allowed to go via Nepal, the first since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also in 2025, hydro-power continued to bind India and Nepal, and in a particular case, also involved Bangladesh. In June 2025, Nepal started exporting 40 MW electricity to Bangladesh, using the Indian transmission line, following a tri-lateral deal inked in October 2024.

Another area that remained unaffected by the diplomatic or political developments was the developmental assistance that India extended to Nepal in various ways.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visited Nepal in mid-August to discuss bilateral partnership, focusing on connectivity and development cooperation.

In May, Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav met Oli and discussed opportunities to strengthen cooperation in clean energy, biodiversity conservation and preservation of natural resources.

Earlier this month, Additional Secretary, North, Munu Mahawar, met caretaker PM Karki and offered logistic support for conducting the March 5 elections.

Nepali national Sudip Neupane was among those who died in the April terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. His body was brought back home even as the Nepalese government condemned the terror attack in which 26 people, including Neupane, were killed.

An earthquake of 7 magnitude struck eastern Nepal right at the beginning of the year, reminding people of the 2015 tremor that killed at least 9,000 people. However, no deaths or damages were reported.

Another staple Himalayan issue that Nepal faced this year, too, was the devastating flash floods and landslides. At least nine people were killed and 20 others, including six Chinese, went missing when a flash flood occurred in the Bhotekoshi River at Rasuwa district near the Nepal-Tibet border in July. The floods triggered by a glacial lake outburst in Tibet also damaged 10 hydro-power projects in Rasuwa.

Around 60 people were killed due to landslides and floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains between October 4 and 6.

India was among the first to send emergency relief to disaster-hit areas in Nepal, providing prefabricated steel bridges to help rebuild critical road infrastructure and improve connectivity.

India also continued with aiding the construction of colleges, schools, hospitals and community halls as part of the High Impact Community Development projects (HICDP) across the length and breadth of Nepal.