From Gen-Z Icon To Public Outrage: Why Protests Have Erupted Against Nepal PM Balen Shah In Just 100 Days

Just 100 days into office, Nepal's youngest Prime Minister, Balen Shah, is facing the same anger that ousted his predecessor. When he took office in March, he carried the hopes of a generation fed up with corruption, political dynasties, and empty promises.

He wasn't just another elected politician; Balen Shah, a once-rapper, engineer, turned politician, became the figurehead of the political transition stemming from the Gen-Z protest that engulfed Nepal in 2025.

However, revolutions often raise expectations that are difficult to meet. Barely three months later, protesters have once again returned to the streets of Kathmandu.

Gen-Z Returns To The Streets

Last week, young people gathered outside the Passport Department in Tripureshwor. They were not there to process documents, but to mourn the death of 25-year-old ride-share driver Ganesh Nepali, who allegedly set himself on fire days earlier following a dispute with traffic police over a fine.

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The government, led by Balen Shah, is now facing the same grassroots pressure that toppled the previous administration. Protesters have taken to the streets over the eviction of squatters living along riverbanks, alleged police excesses, and the death of Ganesh Nepali. Some demonstrators have even demanded Shah's resignation.

Along with political challenges within the government, Shah's eviction drive has triggered widespread protests.

Anger Over Removal Of Unauthorised Settlements

As Mayor of Kathmandu, Shah had long pursued the removal of unauthorised settlements along the city's rivers. After becoming Prime Minister, he expanded the campaign nationwide. According to Nepal News, the eviction drive, launched in April 2026, has affected more than 2,600 families and nearly 15,000 people across the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding areas.

Despite a rehabilitation plan announced by the government to provide land to these families in the next 1,000 days, lawyers and Gen-Z activists have stated that these families were removed from their homes without ensuring that they actually were landless, prompting a legal battle that is now being heard by the apex court.

Evicted families at temporary holding centres were given until July 6 to leave, but many refused, stating they had no other option. Days later, monsoon flooding destroyed a holding centre in Kirtipur and around 150 displaced families were rushed to emergency evacuation shelters.

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A group of youth activists, who reached the spot for inspection, faced a lathi charge by police, who also detained a few protesters, inviting criticism from Opposition leaders including Nepali Congress President Gagan Thapa.

Ganesh Nepali's Death Sparks Outrage

It was against this backdrop that Ganesh Nepali took his own life. He was working as a ride-share driver when municipal police allegedly locked the wheels of his motorcycle for violating parking rules.

Unable to pay the fine, he reportedly set himself on fire outside a government office. His death intensified public anger over both the eviction drive and alleged police high-handedness.

Growing Pressure On Balen Shah

The slogans that once helped bring Balen Shah to power are now being raised against his government. The young people who demanded a new Nepal have not abandoned that vision; they have simply turned their expectations toward the leader they believed could deliver it.

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