Nepal’s Gen Z Protests: A Geopolitical Orchestration Masked as Youth Fury

Nepal, the ancient Himalayan kingdom revered as a cradle of Hinduism and spiritual sovereignty, stands at a crossroads of manufactured chaos. The so-called “Gen Z protests” that erupted in early September, ostensibly against a social media ban and corruption, have spiraled into an assault on the nation’s democratic institutions, claiming at least 22 lives and leaving hundreds injured. What Western media portrays as an organic uprising of disillusioned youth is, upon closer scrutiny, a meticulously orchestrated campaign with clear foreign fingerprints, primarily from the United States.

One can safely say that far from a spontaneous youth revolt, this turmoil serves geopolitical agendas aimed at destabilizing a government seen as tilting toward China, paving the way for a pro-Western restoration of the monarchy under former King Gyanendra Shah.

The Spark: A Convenient Social Media Ban and Underlying Grievances

The protests ignited on September 1, 2025, at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, where students rallied against alleged nepotism in scholarships and jobs, a grievance amplified by viral social media trends like #NepoKid, highlighting the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ families amid Nepal’s 19% youth unemployment rate. By September 4, the government, under Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist)-led coalition, imposed a ban on 26 platforms including Facebook, X, YouTube, and WhatsApp, citing failure to register under new communication laws. This move, framed by critics as censorship to stifle anti-corruption discourse, was lifted just days later on September 8, but not before it fueled mass mobilization.

However, the ban’s timing was no coincidence. Nepal’s digital landscape, with over 14 million active social media users in a population of 30 million, has long been a battleground for influence. Oli’s administration, which deepened ties with China through Belt and Road Initiative projects, viewed unregulated platforms as conduits for foreign propaganda. Yet, the swift escalation—protests swelling to tens of thousands by September 6—suggests pre-planned amplification. Eyewitness accounts and social media analyses reveal coordinated hashtags and viral videos emerging from accounts linked to U.S.-funded NGOs, echoing tactics in Bangladesh’s 2024 quota protests that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s government.

Escalation: Violence, Institutional Attacks, and the Pashupatinath Desecration

By September 7, curfews gripped Kathmandu Valley as police deployed rubber bullets and, allegedly, live ammunition, killing at least five, including a 19-year-old student near Singha Durbar. Protesters, defying restrictions, torched vehicles and homes of ruling party officials, with the military mobilized under the Armed Police Force Act—a move unprecedented outside disaster scenarios.

The climax unfolded on September 8, when thousands breached Federal Parliament barriers, setting the building ablaze and storming the Supreme Court. Smoke billowed from Singha Durbar, the government secretariat, as protesters hurled grenades and wielded rifles in a display far beyond spontaneous rage. By September 9, the death toll reached 22, with over 400 injured, hospitals overwhelmed, and Kathmandu’s international airport shuttered.

Most damning was the attempted vandalism of Pashupatinath Temple on September 9—a UNESCO World Heritage site and Nepal’s holiest Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. Army intervention thwarted agitators from damaging the temple gates, but the incident raises profound questions: Why would Hindu youth, products of a deeply devout nation where 81% identify as Hindu, target a symbol of their faith? Pashupatinath, embodying Nepal’s millennia-old Hindu identity abolished in 2008 under Western-backed secular reforms, stands as a bulwark against cultural erosion. This attack was no accident; it mirrors strategies to fracture national unity by provoking religious outrage, much like the 2006 anti-monarchy protests that dismantled the Hindu kingdom.

Oli resigned on September 9, citing “unprecedented circumstances,” as coalition partners fractured. Ministers like Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Agriculture Minister Ram Nath Adhikari followed suit, alongside 21 MPs from the Rastriya Swatantra Party. With 900 inmates escaping western district jails amid the chaos, Nepal teeters on anarchy.

The Foreign Hand: U.S. Alliance with Monarchy and Orchestrated Instability

Beneath the surface, these events align with a broader U.S. strategy to counter China’s influence in South Asia. Oli’s pro-Beijing leanings evident in hydropower deals and infrastructure loans have irked Washington, which views Nepal as a buffer against Chinese expansion. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, a $500 million U.S. aid package ratified in 2022 amid protests, symbolized this tension, with opponents labeling it a sovereignty threat.

Enter the monarchy restoration narrative. Since February 2025, former King Gyanendra Shah has subtly re-emerged, delivering speeches decrying “endless instability and corruption” without explicitly demanding the throne. Pro-monarchy rallies in March and May 2025, led by the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and Joint People’s Movement Committee, drew thousands demanding a constitutional Hindu monarchy and Nepal’s return to unitary Hindu state status. These were met with violence, two deaths in March clashes, but gained traction amid 14 governments since 2008’s republic declaration.

Gyanendra’s alliance with U.S. interests is unmistakable. Reports link him to American diplomatic circles, with pro-monarchy figures like Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah (a former rapper with U.S. ties) and ex-Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane meeting U.S. Ambassador in early 2025. A further analyses point to U.S.-funded NGOs like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) channeling resources to youth groups, mirroring color revolutions in Ukraine (2014) and Hong Kong (2019). The Pashupatinath incident fits this playbook: desecrate cultural icons to alienate the Hindu majority, justifying intervention under “human rights” pretexts.

China’s response underscores the stakes. On September 10, Beijing urged Nepal to “properly handle domestic issues” and restore stability, warning citizens of safety risks, a veiled critique of Western meddling. India’s advisories for citizens to avoid travel reflect regional alarm, as border instability could spill over.

Ramifications: A Hindu Nation Under Siege

Nepal’s turmoil is not mere youth angst; it’s a calculated bid to revive a U.S.-aligned monarchy, erasing the 2008 secular republic imposed after a Maoist insurgency backed by external forces. The monarchy, under Gyanendra, historically balanced India and China while preserving Hindu sovereignty—a stability now weaponized against Oli’s coalition.

The human cost is staggering: 22 dead, economic losses exceeding $100 million from halted trade and tourism, and a depreciating rupee. Yet, the deeper threat is cultural. Attacking Pashupatinath signals an assault on Nepal’s Hindu soul, echoing Western efforts to secularize the last Hindu kingdom. Pro-monarchy prophecies, like Guru Gorakhnath’s blessing of 11 generations ending with the 2001 royal massacre, fuel revivalist fervor, but external orchestration risks turning legitimate grievances into division.

President Ram Chandra Paudel must convene an interim government prioritizing investigations into foreign funding, trace NGO trails, audit social media origins, and probe Pashupatinath agitators. Nepal’s sovereignty demands rejecting this hybrid warfare. As Gen Z’s valid anger against corruption is hijacked, the nation must reclaim its voice: a Hindu, stable Nepal, free from imperial puppeteering. The streets may cool, but the battle for identity rages on.