India, Sept. 11 -- Tens of thousands of demonstrators, describing themselves as Gen Z, converged near the parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, to protest against a ban on 26 social media platforms (including Facebook, WhatsApp, X, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, Signal and YouTube) announced last week for failing to register under the new government guidelines. Even as the police resorted to batons, water cannons, and rubber bullets to disperse the protestors, the crowds continued to grow and by the end of the day, 20 young people (including a 12 year old) were dead, with reports of 400 injured.

The following day, anger had spread to other cities and government buildings, including the parliament and Singha Durbar, were set on fire. Priv...