Kathmandu: The curfew imposed on Wednesday in parts of Nepal’s Bara district after clashes broke out between young protestors associated with the Gen Z movement and the former ruling Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), was extended until 8 pm (local time) on Thursday, the district administration said.
Officials said the restrictions would remain in force to prevent an escalation and restore order.
Tensions flared on Wednesday when both groups held parallel rallies in Simara, a town near the district airport. Scuffles erupted soon after, prompting security forces to disperse crowds and enforce a curfew across key pockets of the area. Police later said the situation had stabilised and no serious injuries were reported.
“The situation is normal. No one was severely injured,” Nepal police spokesperson Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP.
The confrontations come barely two months after a youth-led uprising in September that toppled the KP Sharma Oli government. Branded the “Gen Z uprising”, the movement erupted after a brief ban on social media but quickly broadened into mass protests over economic stagnation and entrenched corruption.
At least 76 people were killed in violent demonstrations on September 8 and 9, during which government buildings, courts and parliament were attacked before Oli, 73, was forced out.
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki, the former chief justice appointed after Oli’s ouster, appealed for restraint on Wednesday night. Warning political actors against “unwanted provocation”, she urged all sides to respect democratic processes ahead of national elections scheduled for March 5, 2026.
“I have directed the Home Administration and security agencies to work with utmost restraint and preparation to maintain peace and order,” Karki said, adding that her priority was to ensure the safe movement of political leaders and create a “fair and fear-free” electoral environment.
Karki also held discussions with representatives of more than 110 political parties, emphasising the need for generational change in Nepal’s leadership. “We want this country to be in the hands of a new generation and to be managed by people with vision,” she told the gathering.
Protests resurfaced again on Thursday morning, when crowds assembled at Simara Chowk around 11 am, prompting police action and the continuation of curfew orders, according to local media reports.
Karki, also 73, now faces the challenge of shepherding the Himalayan nation through a volatile transition marked by public anger, political fragmentation and widespread distrust in state institutions.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Nepal’s security forces of using disproportionate and unlawful force during the youth-led “Gen Z” protests on September 8, 2025, and has called on the Sushila Karki–led interim government to ensure an independent and time-bound investigation into the violence that unfolded over two days.
In a detailed report, HRW said police opened fire repeatedly on mostly young demonstrators in Kathmandu between 12:30 pm and 4 pm on September 8, killing at least 17 people in the capital alone. Witnesses and video evidence reviewed by the organisation did not indicate any imminent threat to life that would justify such lethal action, it said. Protesters had gathered near parliament to denounce corruption and a four-day social media ban imposed by the previous government.
According to HRW, officers fired without warning and used extreme force even after protesters were dispersed with tear gas and water cannons. One 20-year-old student was shot despite the crowd being largely peaceful at the time, her surgeon confirmed. Dozens of detainees were allegedly beaten in custody by a police unit identified as the Special Task Force.
The violence escalated on September 9, when mobs attacked police stations, torched government buildings, including parliament and the Supreme Court, and assaulted politicians and journalists.
Three policemen were killed as security forces appeared overwhelmed and, at times, absent from the streets.
A judicial commission now investigating the unrest has been tasked with probing the deaths of at least 76 people nationwide.
