At least 19 people died in Nepal on Monday, authorities said, as police in the capital fired tear gas and ammunition at protesters trying to storm parliament.
Some of the mainly youth protesters, animated by government corruption and a ban on social media, forced their way into the parliament complex in Kathmandu by breaking through a barricade.
"The police have been firing indiscriminately," one protester told the ANI news agency. "[They] fired bullets which missed me but hit a friend who was standing behind me. He was hit in the hand."
Protesters descended upon the parliament building in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Monday, leading to violent clashes with police. (Niranjan Shrestha/The Associated Press)More than 100 people, including 28 police personnel, were receiving medical treatment for their injuries, police officer Shekhar Khanal told Reuters. Protesters were ferrying the injured to hospital on motorcycles.
Another two people were killed when protests in the eastern city of Itahari turned violent, police said.
Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli called an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the unrest, which erupted after thousands of young people, including many wearing their school or college uniforms, took to the streets earlier on Monday.
Nepal blocked access to several social media platforms, including Facebook, last week after they failed to register with authorities in a crackdown on misuse.
The government said social media users with fake IDs have been spreading hate speech and fake news, and committing fraud and other crimes via some platforms.
Riot police personnel huddle and fire tear gas as demonstrators throw stones during the protest on Monday. (Prabin Ranabaht/AFP/Getty Images)Ekram Giri, a spokesperson for Nepal's parliament, said some protesters entered the parliament premises but did not reach its main building. They had been driven out by police and have assembled on the road outside, he said.
"We have imposed a curfew which will remain in force until 10 p.m. local time to bring the situation under control after protesters began to turn violent," Muktiram Rijal, a spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office, told Reuters.
Police had orders to use water cannons, batons and rubber-coated bullets to control the crowd, Rijal said.
Police said similar protests were also organized in Biratnagar and Bharatpur in the southern plains and in Pokhara, gateway to the world's 10th highest mountain, Mount Annapurna, in western Nepal.
Earlier on Monday, thousands of youths, including students, many in their school or college uniforms, were stopped by police from marching toward the parliament building, where demonstrations are not allowed.
A police barricade is pictured in front of a fire set alight by demonstrators during a protest outside the parliament in Kathmandu on Monday. (Prabin Ranabhat/AFP/Getty Images)Protesters carried the national flag and placards with slogans such as, "Shut down corruption and not social media," "Unban social media," and "Youths against corruption," as they marched through Kathmandu.