Indian media faces backlash in Nepal for biased and selective coverage of Gen Z protests — reporters insulted and chased away by youths


In recent days, anti-government protests in Nepal not only forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign but also sparked a strong reaction against Indian media from Nepalese youth.


According to reports, on September 11 in Kathmandu, protesters surrounded an Indian reporter and cameraman who were covering the demonstrations.


Eyewitnesses reported that demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Go Back Indian Media” along with strong anti-India chants during the Nepal protests.


The situation escalated when some Indian reporters were assaulted and pushed around. However, police intervened to defuse the matter.


To obstruct Indian media coverage, demonstrators banged pots, danced in front of cameras, and wherever an Indian reporter was spotted, Nepalese youths insulted them and drove them away.


Why were Indian media workers targeted in Nepal?


Protesters in Nepal believe that Indian media is engaging in biased and selective reporting, portraying their movement only as a campaign against social media bans, while their real concerns are corruption, unemployment, and the grip of the political elite.


According to the protesters, Indian media is oversimplifying their issues just to create a sensational story for foreign audiences.


Foreign media reports quoted a Nepalese activist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying: “Indian media is not telling our story, it is making its own story. They are reducing it only to the social media ban, while we are out here for our future.”


It is also alleged that Indian media tailors its reporting solely around India’s interests, sidelining the hardships and future concerns of the Nepalese people.


It should be noted that the Nepalese government shut down major social media platforms last week, which triggered the youth-led protests that came to be called the Gen Z Revolution.


During the unrest and riots in Nepal, 30 people were killed, hundreds were injured, and several government buildings were set on fire. Following this, Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned.


In a statement signed by him, Prime Minister Oli said he was stepping down in order to provide a constitutional solution to the ongoing crisis in the country.