September 9 eventually turned out to be Nepal's August 5 moment. If it needs to be elaborated, it was on August 5, 2024 when Bangladeshi Prime Minister Shaikh Hasina Wajed had to bow to public agitation and flee the country, to India. On September 9, Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli suffered the same fate — short of fleeing the country though. Anti-corruption demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew imposed by the government and clashed with police in capital Kathmandu and other places, a day after 19 people died in violent protests triggered by a social media ban. Though the government had lifted the ban, the protesters were unrelenting.

The events in Nepal exemplify how quickly social media restrictions can escalate into violence and even bigger — as young activists perceived the ban

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