A photo showing a poster of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from a pro-monarchy rally in Nepal in March this year, has been revived and falsely linked to the recent anti-government protests in the country.
BOOM found that the picture dates back to March 2025, when political workers and locals in Nepal carried the banner during a rally to welcome former king Gyanendra Shah.
Nepal is currently seeing a wave of violent protests against the government over allegations of systemic corruption. Dubbed the ‘Gen Z protest’ for its strong youth backing, the unrest got triggered after the government announced a ban on several social media platforms. The demonstrations have already led to the ouster of Nepali Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who reportedly fled to Dubai.
The Claim
Verified X handle Hindutva Knight shared a cropped version of the photo with the caption, "GenZ in Nepal wants something we already have".
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Viral Image Predates Recent Nepal Protest
1. Old News Report From March 2025: We ran a reverse image search of the picture on Google Lens and found a news article in The Diplomat using the same image. Published on March 24, 2025, the article said that the poster of UP CM Yogi Adityanath was placed next to a poster of ousted Nepali King Gyanendra at a pro-monarchy rally in Kathmandu on March 9, 2025.
According to the outlet, the photograph was posted by Bishnu Rimal, who served as chief advisor to ex-Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli. We also found that Rimal had shared the picture on his verified Facebook page on March 9, 2025, with a Nepali caption that translates to, “These two photos were used by the nationalist gentlemen at the rally.”
2. The Pro-Monarchy Protest In Nepal: A related keyword search led us to several news reports, including one from Nepalese outlet Ratopati, which published a similar photo in an article on March 9. The report said a political controversy erupted after a rally organised by the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and other groups at Tribhuvan International Airport to welcome former King Gyanendra Shah featured a photograph of UP CM Yogi Adityanath.
According to the article, the incident followed the former king’s visit to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, on January 30, 2025, where he met Yogi Adityanath. When asked about the controversy, RPP spokesperson Moohan Shrestha said he was unaware of the rally or the images used, adding it was unclear who had decided to include Yogi Adityanath’s picture, said the report.
