Kathmandu is reeling as youth-led protests against Nepal’s sweeping social media ban, which rapidly turned violent, saw the Hilton Kathmandu, the country’s tallest hotel, reduced to a burnt-out shell.
The luxury 15-storey landmark, opened just last year with 172 rooms and sweeping mountain views, is one of the most prominent non-governmental properties destroyed in the unrest.
The protests, spearheaded by Generation Z demonstrators angry at restrictions on 26 social media platforms, rapidly spiralled into widespread arson and clashes with security forces. Soldiers and police fired live rounds and tear gas in running battles across the capital, leaving at least 19 to more than 22 people dead and hundreds injured in just a few days.
State institutions have suffered equally severe blows. Protesters torched Nepal’s Parliament building, the prime minister’s residence, the presidential palace, Singha Durbar, the central secretariat, and even the Supreme Court.
Media outlets have also been targeted, including Kantipur, the nation’s largest publication.
The violence has had deeply personal consequences for Nepal’s political class. Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, died after demonstrators set fire to the family’s Dallu residence, trapping her inside.
Under mounting pressure and unable to contain the upheaval, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned on September 9, handing power to the army, which has since imposed curfews and sealed off key areas of Kathmandu.
Armoured vehicles now patrol the capital as authorities vow to prosecute arsonists and restore order.
Despite the crackdown, young protesters say they see their movement as a revolution against corruption and authoritarianism. Videos of demonstrators dancing in front of burning buildings have gone viral, reflecting both the fury and defiance of a generation unwilling to retreat.
