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‘Students in school uniforms killed in protests, women raped’, Nepal influencers claim
While the ban on social media platforms was rolled back by the Nepal government, the anti-government protests continued on Tuesday.
The protests against the ban imposed on the social media platforms by the Nepal government last week spurred widespread protests in the country on Monday as well as Tuesday, killing at least 19 people.
While the government rolled back the short-lived ban, the anti-government protests continued on Tuesday, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The protesters had demanded Oli's resignation, alleging that the government had displayed an authoritarian attitude. While at least 19 people were killed and several others injured during the protests on Monday, multiple social media influencers have spoken up.
The influencers said that among those who died during the protests were students in school uniforms. “Students dressed in school uniform, even minors, were shot,” NDTV quoted Miss Nepal Earth 2022, Sareesha Shrestha, as saying.
Another social media influencer, Ruth Khadka, also claimed that “peaceful protestors, most of them school students in uniform", were also targeted.
Drishti Adhikari, a TikToker from Nepal, also echoed the statements made by Shrestha and Khadka, saying one among the dead was a “student in a school uniform, seen dead on the street.”
‘Injured in hospitals attacked, women raped’
Shrestha alleged that law enforcement officials had entered hospitals where the injured protestors were receiving treatment and attacked them, according to NDTV.
“Something that began as the peaceful demonstrations across the country ended up becoming a heartbreaking tragedy for the entire nation,” Shrestha added.
Influencer Ruth Khadka further claimed that women and girls were “raped in their houses because they spoke against corruption”, according to NDTV. Khadka added that while the bullets being used by the police were not rubber bullets, adding that people had faced violence from those who were supposed to protect them. “The police are supposed to protect the citizens and not kill them,” she said.
Adhikari cited the UN basic principles on the use of force and firearms, saying lethal force must only be used “as a last resort”. “What happened is not lawful and a violation of international human rights,” Adhikari added.
