Video: Nepal Finance Minister stripped off clothes, chased into river by protestors

Dubai: Nepal’s political turmoil deepened this week after Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel was humiliated by furious protesters who stripped him of his clothes and chased him into a river, in one of the most dramatic episodes yet of the country’s unrest.

The incident came just hours after demonstrators set fire to parts of Nepal’s parliament building, underscoring the scale of public anger that has erupted nationwide. The protests, spearheaded by a youth-driven “Gen Z” movement, have channelled widespread frustration over a worsening economic crisis, allegations of entrenched corruption, and stalled political reforms.

Protesters accuse senior leaders of grossly mismanaging the fragile economy, as rising food prices, soaring unemployment, and mounting debt fuel discontent. Videos of the minister’s humiliation quickly went viral on social media, further amplifying the sense of a government losing control.

Analysts warn the spectacle could prove a breaking point for the prime minister's embattled administration, already weakened by internal divisions and its failure to quell the escalating demonstrations.

Nepal’s crisis comes at a precarious moment, as the nation balances fragile democracy at home with uneasy ties abroad. For many, the image of a top minister fleeing half-naked into a river has become a stark symbol of collapsing public trust in the political establishment.