Nepal protest highlights: Govt says ban revoked as per demands of Gen Z

Nepal news LIVE: The United Nations has demanded a swift and transparent probe of the violence.

"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 in a statement.

"We have received several deeply worrying allegations of unnecessary or disproportionate use of force by security forces."

Nepal minister for communication, information and broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites following an emergency meeting of the Cabinet, according to PTI.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 ordered concerned agencies to resume social media sites as per the demands of Gen Z.

Nepal news LIVE: Nepal government has lifted the ban on social media after violent protests, PTI reports.

Nepal news LIVE: Nepal's government has formed an investigation committee to examine the causes of the unrest.

"The committee has been given 15-day time to prepare the report and submit it, looking into the aspects of how the situation escalated and the possible factors behind it. TOR (Terms of Reference) has been drafted accordingly," a source told ANI.

Nepal news LIVE: "The police have been firing indiscriminately," one protester told the ANI news agency. "(They) fired bullets which missed me but hit a friend who was standing behind me. He was hit in the hand."

Security has been stepped up in districts of Uttar Pradesh which share a border with Nepal, PTI reported. 19 people were killed and over 200 injured after clashes broke out between protestors and police over the ban on social media platforms in Nepal. “Drone monitoring is being carried out and additional forces deployed at all police stations adjoining the border,” PTI quoted Superintendent of Police Vikas Kumar as saying.

The United Nations demanded a swift and transparent investigation after 19 persons were killed in Nepal, following clashes between protestors and police over the banning of social media platforms in the country, AFP reported.

“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.

Nepal Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has stepped down from his post following the deaths of 19 people in the protests over the ban on social media platforms in the country, India Today reported. Lekhak allegedly tendered his resignation to PM KP Sharma Oli during a cabinet meeting.

More than 200 people have been injured in Nepal as protests turned violent after clashes erupted between the protestors and the police over a ban on social media platforms, ANI reported.

Nepal news LIVE: Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the unrest, which erupted after thousands of young people, including many wearing their school or college uniforms, took to the streets earlier on Monday.

Nepal news LIVE: The death toll from protests over social media ban has risen to 18, while more than 200 people have been injured across Nepal, according to The Himalayan Times. 16 of the deceased were in Kathmandu Valley and two in Itahari.

An alert has been issued along the India-Nepal border, amid the protests in Nepal, which has led to the deaths of 18 people. “An alert has been issued on the India-Nepal border, considering a protest in Nepal. Sashastra Seema Bal is keeping a close watch on the development,” officials told ANI.

Two people have died in Itahari after the police opened fire, with the total toll in the protests reaching 18. 16 people were killed in Kathmandu amid clashes between the security forces and protestors. One of the two protestors was killed in front of the Itahari Sub-metropolitan City Office, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Protestors in Damak blocked the East-West Highway, while some hurled stones at Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli's house. The protestors set fire on tyres at three points between Campus Gate and Chiya Dokan, leading to halting of vehicular movement for more than an hour, according to The Kathmandu Post.

Protestors hurled stones at Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's house in his hometown Damak, in the wake of violent clashes between the police and protestors in Kathmandu. In response to the stone-pelting, the police fires warning shots, The Kathmandu Post reported.

A television journalist, Shyam Shrestha, was shot during the protests at Baneshwar in Kathmandu. Shrestha, who was hit by a rubber bullet fired by police as clashes erupted between the security forces and protestors, is currently receiving treatment at the Civil Hospital, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Protestors on Monday said that they were planning to hold a peaceful protest in Kathmandu, claiming that the police had resorted to violence. “We were planning to hold a peaceful protest, but as we advanced further, we could see the violence by the police,” ANI quoted a protestor as saying. The protestor added that those in power could not “impose their power on us”.

16 people were killed, while dozens of others sustained injuries after protests on the ban imposed on social media platforms by the Nepal government turned violent, AFP reported citing police.

Following massive protests in Kathmandu, a curfew was also imposed in the cities of Butwal and Bhairahawa in Nepal, The Kathmandu Post quoted Rupandehi District Administration Office as saying. The curfew has been imposed from 4 pm to 10 pm on Monday.

After the protests in Kathmandu turned violent, leading to the deaths of 14 people, the ban on social media platforms imposed by the Nepal government is likely to be revoked, NDTV reported citing sources.

The Nepal government, while announcing the ban on social media platforms, said that the companies had been given notices to register officially in the country and had failed to do so. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok, Viber, and three other platforms which had registered continue to operate in the country.

Nepal news LIVE: The death toll in the Nepal protest has risen to 14, Reuters reported, citing state TV.

Nepal news LIVE: It was on Thursday that Nepal's ministry for communication and information technology asked the regulating authority to instruct service providers to restrict access to 26 platforms.

The government move follows a Supreme Court ruling last month that upheld the requirement for social media platforms to register locally as a way to address misinformation. Read full report here

Nepal news LIVE: At least 10 people have died in Nepal protest over social media ban, news agency AFP reported, citing police.