Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Nepalese Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, was tragically killed when protesters, led by Generation Z activists, trapped her inside their house in the Dallu area of Kathmandu and set it ablaze. She was taken to Kirtipur Burn Hospital but succumbed to her injuries, according to family sources.
This incident happened amid widespread protests in Kathmandu against a brief government ban on social media platforms. The unrest, fueled by anger over political corruption and nepotism, escalated as demonstrators targeted homes of top leaders, including Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, whose residence was also set on fire.
Following violent clashes, including police firing on crowds that resulted in 19 deaths, Prime Minister Oli resigned. Videos surfaced showing his finance minister, Bishnu Prasad Paudel, being violently attacked in the streets.
The protests began after the government blocked Facebook, X, and YouTube, citing failure by these platforms to comply with registration and regulatory demands. Many young protesters are particularly frustrated by the privileged lifestyles of politicians' children, known as “Nepo Kids,” while many youth face unemployment and hardship.