The Nepal government has lifted the social media ban that sparked bloody protests in which 19 people were killed and scores were injured on Monday as police clamped down on protesters.

Amid protests that saw thousands of youths take to the streets, breaking through barricades to invade the parliament complex in Kathmandu on Monday, Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli called a meeting to address the situation.

On Monday night, Nepal authorities reversed the ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and X, to douse the tension and “address the demands of Gen Z”.

Nepal had banned social media under the guise of tackling fake news. However, young citizens opposed the move, saying tackling corruption should be the government’s priority, not banning social media.

On Monday, thousands of protesting youths carried placards with inscriptions such as ‘Shut down corruption and not social media’, ‘Unban social media’, and ‘Youths against corruption’.

Prithvi Subba, Nepal’s minister of communication, said police had to deploy force to quell the protest.

Mr Oli said he was “deeply saddened” by the violence that erupted during the protests, adding the protest was “infiltrated by various vested interest groups”.