Nepal's Gen-Z protests, why netizens are calling out 'Nipokid' over viral pic?

After the deadliest youth-led protests in Nepal, which left 19 people dead, amid ongoing unrest, the Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned.

And, amidst all the chaos, a viral post sparked netizens' outrage online after Supriya Shrestha, allegedly a granddaughter of ex-diplomat Kedar Bhakta Shrestha, was spotted vacationing in France.

Netizens roasted her as a “nipo kid,” which resurfaced the fault lines between the ruling elite and the masses, who are now demanding justice.

During the turmoil, hashtags such as #Nepobaby and 3Nepokids were trending on social media platforms; however, the government has now lifted the ban.

The large number of protestors were students, dressed up in school and college uniforms, identifying themselves as “demonstrations by Gen-Z.”

Gen Z crowds flooded the streets near the parliament building in Kathmandu, where hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered to speak out against the government’s anti-social media law.

The placards carried by protesters were sloganed with “shut down corruption, not social media” and “youth against corruption.”

The phrase "nipokid" comes from the word nepotism.

The viral post shared on platforms like X and Reddit claims Supriya Shrestha, granddaughter of the former foreign officer secretary, is vacationing in France while people back home are receiving bullets.

Why did netizens slam "NipoKid"?

The X post contrasted two images and read with the caption, “On the left: the son, daughter-in-law, and relatives of Sher Bahadur Deuba enjoying life in France today.

On the right: A young citizen killed by the Nepali government for demanding a better nation, in the Gen Z uprising that is taking place today.” (The comment is based on social media speculations).

The "NipoKid" claim: Fact or fiction?

Netizens didn’t hold back and continued to share the snaps amid protests of the social media influencer named Supriya Shrestha, who’s on vacation in France, and are slamming her, but there’s no substantial fact that can establish that the woman seen in the viral France vacation photos is actually the granddaughter of Kedar Bhakta Shrestha.

And there’s been no statement issued by the Shrestha family about the claims circulating on social media.

What actually led to the Gen-Z protests in Nepal?

Demonstrators of Gen Z argue that protests are not just about social media curbs but are also a reflection of a generational frustration towards Nepal’s poor economic landscape.

Just going by World Bank stats, the unemployment ratio for youth aged 15-24 was at 20.8 percent in 2024.

Meanwhile, a viral online movement termed “Nipokids”—children of political elite showing off their luxury lifestyles—is simply adding fuel to the already fragile living standards of the masses.

Nepal’s GDP relies on remittances sent by the Nepali diaspora that accumulate to about 33.1 percent of the economy, and interestingly that number has steadily seen an upward trajectory in the past three decades.