Streets of Kathmandu bled profusely on Monday, with at least 19 young lives brutally cut short. At least a hundred are in hospitals, struggling to survive from bullets stemming from reckless police firing. The state, instead of listening to the voice of its own youths, retaliated with water cannons, batons, bullets and tear gas. This is an act of brutal and senseless oppression of youths.
The spark of youths’ anger was ignited after the government's surprising ban on social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat. These sites have become lifelines of the current generation, also known as Gen Z. They connect, share, and are expressive through them. Cutting them off was cutting off an entire generation from accessing news, views, entertainment and for some, a source of income through content monetization and small and medium enterprises. Already fed up with corruption, nepotism, poor health and education systems and rising unemployment, the ban was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
The reckless comments from none other than Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who denigrated the Gen Z demand, added fuel to the fire. During the protest, the angry youths headed towards the Parliament building, the bastion of leaders, most of whom they charge of corruption. They broke the barricades and entered the parliament premises, only to be greeted by bullets and batons from awaiting security personnel. The angry youths did not leave the site even after the Kathmandu district administration, who allegedly issued the instruction to open fire on demonstrators, announced curfew in the surrounding areas.
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The young people converged in Maitighar and New Baneshwar, wielding placards and slogans. They cried "enough is enough" against years of plundering, against leaders' arrogance, and against the luxurious lifestyle of the so-called Nepo Kids, who post pictures of luxurious cars, foreign vacations, and designer dresses, while normal families are unable to afford school fees or primary healthcare. The videos and pictures revealing the inequality had gone viral. The government ought to have taken it as a warning. Rather, it took it as a threat.
Security forces descended on the city with brutal force. Peaceful demonstrators were pursued, beaten, and shot at close range. Hospitals verified several deaths by police gunfire. The scenes at Kathmandu Model Hospital, Civil Hospital, and Trauma Center presented a heart-wrenching picture. Bloodied youth and tearful families made everyone sad while doctors battled to keep the wounded alive. The brutality has scared the nation.
The curfew orders issued in Kathmandu, Rupandehi, and several other districts have done no good either. In Itahari, Butwal and Bhairahawa, among other places, youth ignored the restrictions only to be greeted with greater force. The security personnel converted public squares into battle areas where unarmed youths were brutally suppressed. Instead of listening and doing its work to address the youths' demands, the state resorted to excessive force to quell the anger, only to aggravate the situation. The government attempted to silence them with bullets.
What makes the deaths even more unforgivable is the reason behind the protests. These young people were asking questions that the rest of society has whispered for decades. Why are leaders’ children flaunting wealth when jobs are scarce? Why does every government office run on bribes? Why do loans taken in the name of development vanish into private pockets? Why should the new generation inherit only debt, corruption, and disillusionment?
Repression, however, only provides rise to resentment. Nepal has witnessed it as well. From the 1990 uprising through the 2006 revolt, oppressors who attempted to quash resistance were invariably toppled by the people.
As they are known as digital natives, Gen Z are quick to mobilize and fearless in exposing hypocrisy and corruption. They are also tired of waiting for change, and they want such change with dignity, fairness, and the right to a future in their own country.
Killing unarmed young men won't resolve the deep-seated problem of corruption, inaction, and nepotism in our country. It will only create a greater chasm between the rulers and the people. The curfew, the censorship, and the bullets are all signs of a state and rulers that are afraid of its youths. But the question of the hour is why the government or the state used such force against unarmed youths. The act can only be termed as senseless, inhumane, and brutal and thus is unacceptable to a civil society. Those responsible must be held accountable. Merely stepping down from position will not suffice to absolve them from their guilt. They must face justice for killing so many youths in the streets of the capital and elsewhere.
