BATONS AND RUBBER BULLETS
Police had orders to use water cannons, batons and rubber bullets to control the crowd and the army has been deployed in the area of the protests to bolster law enforcement officers, Muktiram Rijal, a spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office, told Reuters.
He said the curfew, which will remain in force until 10pm, had been extended to Kathmandu’s Singha Durbar area, which includes the prime minister’s office and other government buildings.
Police said similar protests were also organised in Biratnagar and Bharatpur in the southern plains and in Pokhara in western Nepal.
Thousands of young people, including students, many in their school or college uniforms, joined the protest earlier on Monday.
Many carried the national flag and placards with slogans such as “Shut down corruption and not social media”, “Unban social media”, and “Youths against corruption”, as they marched through Kathmandu.
Many people in the Himalayan nation think corruption is rampant, and the government of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been criticised by opponents for failing to deliver on its promises.
Nepal’s social media shutdown comes as governments worldwide, including the US, EU, Brazil, India, China and Australia, take steps to tighten oversight of social media and Big Tech due to growing concern about issues such as misinformation, data privacy, online harm and national security.
Critics say many of these measures risk stifling free expression, but regulators say stricter controls are needed to protect users and preserve social order.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/nepal-social-media-protest-parliament-police-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-5337871
