Thursday (October 9) marked a month since Nepal, especially the capital Kathmandu, witnessed anarchy. On September 9, a day after the youth-led protests, then Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned and fled to an army barracks following the deaths of 19 young people. The Nepali capital saw events of an unprecedented degree — the Parliament, government complex, and the Supreme Court burned till late into the night.
Since September 12, an interim Cabinet led by former Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been in place, with the mandate of holding elections on March 5. The official death toll of the two-day protests stands at 75.
The month since the protests has been uneasy, punctuated by festival holidays and rain-induced disasters. A proposed protest plan by a youth group for October 9 stirred fresh anxiety, though it was ultimately withdrawn a day before after some groups dissociated themselves. One youth group also demanded the resignation of the chief and members of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority — Nepal’s top constitutional anti-graft agency.
These youth groups, broadly dubbed under the umbrella of Gen Z, led last month’s demonstrations, which were triggered by a social media ban and driven by anger at corruption an
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