Nepal lifts social media ban in wake of fatal protests that left 19 dead, over 300 injured
Kathmandu (PTI): The Nepal government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites after violent protests by youths that left at least 19 people dead and over 300 others injured.
Nepal Minister for Communication, Information and Broadcasting Prithvi Subba Gurung on Monday night announced that the government has withdrawn its earlier decision to ban social media sites following an emergency meeting of the Cabinet.
Gurung said the Ministry of Information has ordered the concerned agencies to resume the social media sites as per the demands of ‘Gen Z’, which spearheaded a massive protest in front of the Parliament in the heart of Kathmandu.
The Nepalese government had ordered the ban of 26 social media sites, including Facebook and ‘X’, over their failure to register with the government.
The minister also requested the protesting 'Gen Z' group to withdraw their protest programme.
The demonstration on Monday turned violent when some protesters entered the Parliament complex, prompting police to use water cannons, tear gas, and live rounds to disperse crowds, eyewitnesses said.
At least 19 people died and over 300 others were injured in Monday's violence. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak resigned over the situation.
Meanwhile, social media sites such as Facebook, ‘X’ and WhatsApp have come back into operation from Monday night.
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Congress demands PM Modi to come clean on 'disclosures' on him made in Epstein files
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Sunday demanded answers from Narendra Modi following “disclosures” in the Epstein files in the US that some “monsters” had access to him, and said the prime minister should come clean on the issue.
Congress general secretary in charge of organisation, K C Venugopal, said in a post on X, "The reports of the new batch of Epstein Files are a huge wake-up call about the kind of monsters who have access to PM Modi, and how susceptible he is to foreign manipulation.
"The Congress demands that the prime minister personally come clean on these disturbing disclosures that raise serious questions.”
“Has he met Jeffrey Epstein? Or did he send someone to meet him? What did his conversations with Epstein involve,” the Congress leader asked.
The Epstein files are thousands of pages of documents related to two criminal investigations into sex trafficking by financier Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, including travel logs, recordings, and emails, which have been a topic of conversation since Epstein died in custody in 2019.
Venugopal claimed equally concerning was a report that while India’s foreign policy was changing dramatically, Prime Minister Modi was “dancing and singing” to the tunes of “tainted” individuals like Epstein to “benefit foreign powers”.
“People of India deserve an answer,” Venugopal said.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, said, "The prime minister himself must clarify.”
Congress leader Pawan Khera also asked whether Modi was in touch with a "disgraceful" American such as Epstein right around the 2019 elections.
On Saturday, the BJP accused the Congress of spreading misinformation against Prime Minister Modi by "twisting" a generic email fragment of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein into a political smear, asserting that there is "zero evidence" of any direct or indirect interaction between the two.
The Ministry of External Affairs strongly rejected a reference to Modi in the investigative files related to Epstein, describing it as "little more than trashy ruminations by a convicted criminal" that deserves to be dismissed with the "utmost contempt".
