Anti-corruption protests in Nepal intensified on Tuesday (Sept 9) after demonstrators set fire to the residence of a former prime minister, deepening a political crisis that has already forced three cabinet ministers to resign.

The unrest comes a day after authorities lifted a controversial ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook and YouTube. 

The prohibition, widely condemned as an attack on free expression, had sparked nationwide demonstrations that left at least 19 people dead in clashes with security forces.

The government had introduced the ban in response to a viral online campaign exposing the lavish lifestyles of so-called “nepo babies” — the children of senior politicians accused of benefiting from entrenched nepotism and corruption.

Despite the rollback of restrictions, anger has continued to swell. Protesters have defied a curfew imposed across several districts around the capital, Kathmandu, with rallies growing more confrontational and violent.

The crisis underscores mounting frustration among young Nepalis over corruption, political patronage, and widening inequality, leaving the government struggling to contain both the demonstrations and their rapidly spreading political fallout.

SMS/