Kathmandu: A fresh wave of youth-led unrest has gripped Nepal’s Bara district, prompting authorities to impose a curfew for the second time in two months. Officials said the order, effective from 1 pm to 8 pm local time, was reintroduced after large groups of young protesters identifying themselves as Gen Z returned to the streets of Simara on Thursday, a day after violent clashes with cadres of the CPN-UML.
“Curfew has been reimposed following the clash with the police to bring the situation under control,” assistant chief district officer Chhabiraman Subedi told ANI. Crowds began assembling early in the morning, and confrontations with police continued as security personnel attempted to disperse the demonstrators.
Six Gen Z protesters were injured on Wednesday, according to reports. Tension in the district escalated after UML leaders planned a visit ahead of the general election scheduled for March 5, 2026. PTI reported that a clash erupted when a Buddha Air flight carrying CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel and party youth leader Mahesh Basnet prepared to depart Kathmandu for Simara, where they were expected to address an anti-government rally. As hostilities intensified, police deployed tear gas, prompting airport authorities to halt operations. The renewed turmoil follows deadly unrest in September, when at least 76 people were killed during nationwide demonstrations sparked by public anger over a brief government ban on social media. Those protests, largely mobilised under the loose Gen Z banner, ultimately forced then prime minister and UML chairman KP Oli to resign. In the aftermath, former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, was sworn in as Nepal’s first woman prime minister to lead an interim government.