Live ammunition used against Nepal anti-graft protesters, forensics show

26/9/2025 17:09

At least 33 of the demonstrators killed during anti-corruption protests in Nepal this month were struck by "live bullets" fired from "high-velocity firearms," the medical institute that conducted the postmortem examinations told Reuters.



The findings were described to Reuters by a member of the forensic medicine department of the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. An institute spokesperson subsequently verified the account, marking the first official confirmation that live ammunition was used during the unrest, in which 74 people were killed and over two thousand injured.



Unverified images of non-rubber ammunition and protesters with head and chest wounds had circulated on social media in the aftermath of the Gen-Z-led demonstrations against a system in which the politically connected would flaunt luxury goods and holidays on social media. The protests ultimately led to the resignation of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and his government.