Nepal’s youngest Prime Minister, Balendra "Balen" Shah, is facing widespread street protests l

KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Just 100 days after riding a historic "Gen-Z wave" into office, Nepal’s youngest Prime Minister, Balendra "Balen" Shah, is facing widespread street protests led by the very youth movement that helped topple the former government.

Public anger has brought hundreds of student activists, journalists, and civil society groups back onto.

Flashpoints Driving the Backlash

• Tragic Self-Immolation: Public fury exploded following the death of Ganesh Nepali, a 25-year-old ride-sharing driver. Nepali set himself on fire outside Kathmandu’s Department of Passports following a bitter altercation with municipal police over a parking violation and traffic fine. He succumbed to his burn injuries shortly after. Two other youths have reportedly attempted self-immolation amid soaring economic distress and youth unemployment.
• Aggressive Eviction Drives: Demonstrators are heavily condemning the government's harsh campaigns to demolish informal riverbank settlements. Over the weekend, a makeshift holding center sheltering newly displaced, landless squatters was completely inundated by heavy monsoon rains. This triggered nationwide criticism over the lack of proper human rehabilitation plans.
• Police Brutality Allegations: The crisis worsened when metropolitan police allegedly used batons to crack down on Gen-Z activists visiting flooded temporary shelters. High-profile student leaders and journalists have been arrested or hospitalized during subsequent sit-ins.
• Foreign Policy Backlash: Adding to domestic anger, opposition leaders are targeting Shah for controversial remarks made in Parliament claiming that Nepal has encroached on Indian border territories.

The Political Fallout

The rapper-turned-politician, who previously built his cult image on digital-native anti-establishment politics, is facing intense scrutiny for remaining silent on the self-immolation tragedies. In 2023, while serving as Mayor of Kathmandu, Shah had publicly stated that a citizen's self-immolation represented a total "government failure".

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shah and Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) Chairman Rabi Lamichhane made a brief, rare appearance in the House of Representatives. However, they exited after less than 20 minutes as opposition lawmakers launched a scathing attack on the floor, demanding Shah "take off his dark glasses" and face the public.

Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa has openly condemned the government's high-handed tactics, demanding the immediate release of detained youth leaders