As protests intensified in Nepal against the social media ban, the government agreed to fulfil the demands of the protestors. Nepal minister for communication, information and broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites following an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, according to PTI.
Gurung said that his ministry has directed the concerned agencies to resume social media sites. Earlier, at least 19 people were killed and around 350 were injured as massive protests erupted in various parts of Nepal against corruption and the ban on social media platforms.
A few days ago, the Nepalese government banned 26 unregistered social media apps, citing concerns of fake news and cybercrime. The protestors initially gathered outside the parliament building in Baneshwar in the Capital Kathmandu. However, it spread in various cities, including Pokhra, Butwal, Bhairhawa, Bharatpur, Itahari and Damak.
On Monday evening, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhar resigned following the violence. He tendered his resignation to Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli during a Cabinet meeting.
Gen Z have been running a campaign on social media demanding accountability and reforms in governance, turned agitated after the social media ban.
However, the government said that social media users with fake IDs have been spreading hate speech and fake news, and committing other crimes via some platforms.
