Roving Periscope: Nepal’s leadership crisis continues as Gen Z shows some sanity
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Amid a free-for-all since Monday’s uprising, led by Generation Z mobs, and allegedly infiltrated by foreign influencers, Nepal on Friday stared at Himalayan uncertainties as youngsters clashed with each other on who should now lead Kathmandu, and then hit the streets on Friday to clean up the mess they created this week.
Some of them, realizing the enormous harm they did to their poor country by looting and torching dozens of public and private properties, were seen cleaning up the Kathmandu roads and repainting defaced walls, the media reported.
While there was little clarity over who would now lead the interim government, as diverse factions of Gen Z supported different leaders, meetings between their representatives, the army brass, and others continued on Friday.
Several videos circulating on social media showed youths with brooms and waste bags in their hands sweeping pavements and collecting debris across Kathmandu.
After days of violent unrest in Nepal that forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, Gen Z protesters returned to cleaning streets, removing debris, and repainting defaced walls in Kathmandu.
Some protesters were also seen returning stolen items such as refrigerators, microwaves, and fans looted by them.
The clean-up was aimed at showing civic responsibility and signalling that their movement was about rebuilding as much as about protesting, volunteers said.
At least 51 people were killed in the 48-hour Gen Z-led protest that erupted across Nepal on Monday against corruption and a ban on social media sites.
Over 1,700 people were wounded in the unrest and police firing during the protests. Of them, around 1,000 recovered and returned home.
Senior Superintendent of Police Ramesh Thapa, who is co-spokesperson for Nepal police, said the casualties include one Indian national, three policemen and other Nepali citizens, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reported.
At least 36 bodies were kept at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, where post-mortems began on Friday, it said.
The protests started on September 8 in Kathmandu and other major cities, including Pokhara, Butwal, and Birgunj, following the government’s imposition of a ban on 26 social media platforms, citing concerns over tax revenue and cybersecurity.
A curfew was imposed on Wednesday in several cities, including Kathmandu, to control the situation. The Nepalese Army said curfew will continue in sensitive areas from 7 pm on Friday until 6 am on Saturday.
Protesters have been demanding an end to “institutionalised corruption and favouritism” in governance. They want the government to be more accountable and transparent in its decision-making processes.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli fled shortly after hundreds of agitators stormed his office demanding his resignation over the 22 deaths during Monday’s protest. Irate, the protesters also torched the President’s House, Parliament, and a host of government and private buildings.
Nepal’s hotel industry, a vital revenue earner for its tourism-driven economy, has suffered a loss of over 25 billion Nepali rupees after nearly two dozen hotels across the country were vandalised, looted or torched during the recent protests. Hundreds of other tourism-related properties were also damaged.
Among the worst hit is the Hilton Hotel in Kathmandu, which alone reported damages exceeding rupees 8 billion, My Republica news portal reported, quoting a statement issued by the Hotel Association Nepal (HAN).
Many affected hotels will not be able to resume operations without repair and reconstruction, affecting the jobs of more than 2,000 workers, the association said.
