The Nepal government has lifted its controversial ban on social media platforms after days of youth-led protests turned violent, leaving 19 people dead and dozens injured in clashes with police.

Announcing the decision late on Monday, Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung said the government had decided to withdraw its earlier order.

"The government has already decided to open social media by addressing the demand of Gen-Z," he said after an emergency cabinet meeting.

However, Mr. Gurung maintained that the authorities did not regret their move to block the platforms in the first place. "Since protests were being staged using this issue as a pretext, the decision has been taken to reopen social media sites," he added, urging demonstrators to end their agitation.

The government has also set up a committee to investigate the day’s violence, giving it 15 days to submit a report. The unrest escalated after thousands of protesters tried to storm parliament, breaking through police barricades. Authorities responded with a curfew, water cannons, batons, and rubber bullets to control the crowd.

Demonstrators carried placards reading “Shut down corruption and not social media”, “Unban social media”, and “Youths against corruption” as they marched through Kathmandu.

During the briefing, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli accused one of the banned platforms, X, of disrespecting Nepal’s sovereignty. According to ministers, the company had refused to register in the country despite repeated requests.

"We had been saying this for one and a half years. We had asked them to get listed. We had asked them to comply with Nepal's laws. It is a matter of respecting our national sovereignty," Oli said.

The ban was imposed last week after global tech companies failed to meet a government deadline to register under new regulations. Officials said the rules were aimed at tackling fake IDs, hate speech, fraud, and other crimes committed online.

Reports said Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tencent platforms, and X were among those blocked.

Although the restrictions started the demonstrations, many protesters said the unrest was also driven by growing frustration over corruption. Critics accuse the Oli government of failing to act on repeated scandals involving ministers, ex-ministers, and top officials.

Videos on TikTok, which were not part of the ban, showed sharp contrasts between the struggles of ordinary Nepalis and the lavish lifestyles of politicians’ children, fueling further anger.

"There have been movements abroad against corruption, and they are afraid that might happen here as well," protester Bhumika Bharati told AFP.

Nepal has a history of temporarily blocking apps. In July, the government banned Telegram, citing rising cases of fraud and money laundering. It also lifted a nine-month ban on TikTok last year after the platform agreed to local rules.

The violence has drawn international concern. The United Nations urged Nepal to ensure accountability.

"We are shocked by the killings and injury of protesters in Nepal today and urge a prompt and transparent investigation,"UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.

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