KATHMANDU: A fake Facebook page impersonating the Nepal Police was allegedly created ahead of the Gen-Z movement protests in an attempt to deliberately incite violence, according to a report made public by the Human Rights Commission.
The report states that students were encouraged through social media to participate in the demonstrations wearing school uniforms before the protests began.
According to the report, misleading messages were circulated through the fake page claiming that police would be unable to use force against protesters if they appeared in school uniforms. The report says there was an apparent attempt to use students as “human shields,” a claim supported by statements from security agencies and details gathered after the incident.
It further states that several social media accounts used before the protests were deactivated following the incidents. However, the report concludes that despite such activities being openly visible on social media beforehand, security agencies failed to adequately monitor the accounts, counter the misinformation, or take steps to disable them.
The report also points out that the government and security agencies had sufficient indications that the movement could turn violent, yet their preparedness remained weak.
According to the findings, authorities failed to objectively assess the impact of misinformation spread through social media, contributing to the situation spiraling out of control.
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