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Nepal's Prime Minister Balen Shah, who rose to power on the back of a Gen Z-driven political movement, now finds himself at the centre of a storm led by the very generation. Large-scale protests erupted across the country over the weekend, with opposition leaders and demonstrators demanding the former Kathmandu mayor and rapper turned PM to step down.
The unrest was triggered after a ride-sharing driver set himself on fire on Thursday following a confrontation with traffic police over parking in Kathmandu. According to reports in the Nepali media, the man, later identified as Ganesh Nepali, succumbed to his injuries on Friday before he could be transferred to AIIMS New Delhi for specialised treatment.
His death ignited widespread protests in the capital, with hundreds, mostly young people, taking to the streets to demand justice. In Parliament, opposition lawmakers launched a scathing attack on the government, with one urging Shah to "take off" his "dark glasses" and face the people, while others openly called for his resignation.
This is not the first time the Balen Shah-led government has faced public protests. Last month, remarks by the Nepalese prime minister in Parliament suggesting that "...Nepal too has encroached upon Indian territories in many places," sparked demonstrations by student organisations and drew criticism from opposition lawmakers, who accused the government of making irresponsible statements on a sensitive foreign policy issue.
WHY DID RIDE-SHARE DRIVER SELF IMMOLATED IN KATHMANDU?
Ganesh Nepali died on Friday at Kathmandu's Bir Hospital after setting himself on fire outside the Department of Passports in Tripureshwar following a prolonged confrontation with Kathmandu Metropolitan Police over his motorcycle being parked in a no-parking zone.
According to a report in the Nepal-based daily, The Himalayan Times, the dispute began when municipal officers ordered Ganesh Nepali to move his motorcycle before wheel-locking it and calling a tow truck after a heated argument. Ganesh Nepali argued the officers had no authority to lock a vehicle while its rider was still seated on it. CCTV footage later showed him syphoning petrol from his motorcycle before returning more than an hour later, dousing himself in fuel and setting himself ablaze as the tow truck arrived. Bystanders and police extinguished the flames and rushed him to Bir Hospital, where he later died.
The Kathmandu Post reported that Ganesh Nepali had become increasingly distressed by repeated fines and wheel-locking incidents while working as a ride-sharing driver. A week before the incident, he had messaged relatives saying officers had fined him Rs 1,000 after locking his motorcycle. His family said he blamed metropolitan authorities before his death. Plans to airlift him to AIIMS New Delhi were later pushed back after doctors ruled he was too medically unstable to travel.
According to a report by BBC Nepali, the incident was followed by two more self-immolation attempts within three days. On Friday, Vivek Mandal, 35, attempted self-immolation in Sarlahi and remains under treatment. On Saturday, Ashwin Raut, 45, set himself on fire in Kathmandu's Buddhanagar and later died at Bir Hospital, fuelling fears of copycat incidents.
NEPALI'S DEATH SPARKS PROTESTS IN KATHMANDU, CALLS FOR PM BALEN SHAH TO STEP DOWN
Ganesh Nepali's death triggered protests across Kathmandu on Friday, with demonstrators demanding justice and accountability from the Balen Shah government. According to The Kathmandu Post, protesters, including ride-hailing drivers, residents from Ganesh Nepali's home district of Mugu, and members of the Gen Z movement gathered at Maitighar Mandala before attempting to march to Bir Hospital, where Nepali died. Police stopped the procession at Bhadrakali.
The Scientific Socialist Student Union also staged a separate protest at Maitighar. Protesters carried placards reading, "Down with the fascist government", "Provide compensation to the victim's family," and "Stop traffic terror", reported The Kathmandu Post.
According to The Himalayan Times, the demonstrations were largely led by "young people", who argued that the tragedy was not an isolated incident but the result of "systemic failures". Protesters cited chaotic municipal parking enforcement, excessive and punitive fines, and the lack of welfare or legal protections for ride-sharing drivers as factors that pushed Nepali to the brink.
The protesters demanded an independent investigation into the incident, strict legal action against the officials involved, and accused the state of "administrative apathy" that led to Nepali's death. Many also called on Prime Minister Balen Shah to resign.
The unrest coincided with demonstrations against Kathmandu's ongoing eviction drive targeting informal settlements. According to The Kathmandu Post, the Joint Squatters Front organised a protest outside the Singha Durbar Secretariat on Sunday, drawing hundreds of participants who demanded an immediate halt to evictions and the rehabilitation of thousands of displaced families, arguing that the government was carrying out forced removals without providing alternative housing.
OPPOSITION LAWMAKERS TEAR INTO BALEN SHAH GOVERNMENT
The outrage quickly spilled into Parliament. According to a report by BBC Nepali, opposition lawmakers accused the government of failing to prevent the tragedy and mishandling the aftermath during a meeting of the House of Representatives on Friday.
Nepali Congress MP Basana Thapa said, "Even when a youth set himself on fire due to state terror, the state remained a mute spectator," questioning why authorities failed to rush an ambulance and instead "dragged him away like a criminal." She also took direct aim at Prime Minister Balen Shah, saying, "Now is the time to take off the dark glasses."
CPN-UML MP Ain Bahadur Mahar alleged that "the state is responsible" for creating conditions that drove citizens to self-immolation, while former finance minister Barshaman Pun asked whether the incident reflected the state's failure to protect the poor and vulnerable.
In the Assembly, Nepali Communist Party lawmaker Bishnu Bahadur Bishwakarma demanded Shah's resignation, saying, "If there is morality, the Balen government should resign and come out on the streets immediately." He also accused authorities of treating the critically injured Ganesh Nepali "like a criminal" instead of ensuring prompt medical care.
GOVT ANNOUNCES PROBE, HOME MINISTER BLAMES LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Following Ganesh Nepali's death, federal authorities have launched criminal and administrative investigations. The Himalayan Times reported Home Minister Sudan Gurung as having officially announced the formation of a high-level five-member probe committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the self-immolation while speaking before the House of Representatives on Saturday.
Gurung also informed that three personnel of the Kathmandu municipal police have been taken into custody by the police for further investigation. The detained individuals included three municipal police officers, who were all directly involved in the enforcement action and the subsequent altercations leading up to the self-immolation.
The Himalayan Times further reported that Gurung shifted the entire blame for the tragedy on the Kathmandu Municipal and local provincial authorities, reminding the House that the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) does not lead the local government in Kathmandu. "The video clearly showed that the wheel lock was used exclusively by the municipal police," he was reported as saying.
Neither Prime Minister Balen Shah nor his office has publicly commented on the protests that rocked Kathmandu over the weekend. The silence is notable, given that the former Kathmandu mayor and rapper rode a Gen Z-led protest movement to power after it helped unseat the KP Sharma Oli-led government last year. Now, many of those same young supporters have returned to the streets, protesting against the very government they once helped bring to power.
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Published On:
Jul 14, 2026 15:28 IST
