A curfew was reimposed for the second day in Nepal’s Bara district on Thursday as authorities worked to prevent expected clashes between Gen-Z groups and cadres of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s Communist Party of Nepal–Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML).
According to ANI, tensions had been rising in the area, prompting local officials to enforce strict movement restrictions. The curfew aims to stop any confrontation between the two groups and maintain law and order. Security personnel have been deployed across the district, and residents have been advised to stay indoors until further notice.
The District Administration Office announced that restrictions will stay in place until 8 pm local time after young people returned to the streets.
The order came after fresh tension in Simara town of Bara on Wednesday. Police fired teargas after a confrontation near Simara Airport, which led to airport operations being stopped. This new clash follows the violent protests in September, where at least 76 people died during demonstrations sparked by a short social media ban.
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Crowds gathered again in Simara from early morning, clashing with police. Authorities then imposed a curfew from 1 pm to 8 pm. “The curfew has been reimposed after the clash with police to control the situation,” Assistant Chief District Officer Chhabiraman Subedi told ANI.
The incident happened a day after six "Gen Z" protesters were injured in clashes on Wednesday.
According to PTI, trouble started when UML (Unified Marxist-Leninist) leaders planned to visit the district ahead of the March 5, 2026, election.
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A clash broke out when a Buddha Air flight carrying CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel and party youth leader Mahesh Basnet was preparing to take off from Kathmandu for Simara, where they were set to address an anti-government rally, police said.
Nepal Government collapsed in the previous Gen-Z protest
As the situation worsened, police fired teargas, and the airport halted operations.
During the earlier protests in September, at least 76 people were killed after demonstrations erupted over a brief government ban on social media. Protesters forced the then Prime Minister and UML Chairman KP Oli to resign. Former Nepal Chief Justice Sushila Karki, 73, was sworn in as Nepal’s first woman prime minister of an interim government.
