Government authorities have responded with brutal force to a wave of protests carried out by Gen Z in various parts of the country on Monday.
Demanding an end to the widespread corruption in the country and other issues, Gen Z has been protesting since 9 am on Monday in various locations including Kathmandu, Jhapa, Sunsari, Kaski, Kavre, Rupandehi, Chitwan, and Dang.
However, the irate protestors who moved from Maitighar to New Baneshwar turned violent, leading to the breaching of the police barricade. Protesters were sitting inside the Parliament building, vandalizing gates, demolishing walls, and even attempting to set fires to compound walls.
Eventually, the police fired teargas shells. Following the firing of the teargas shells, the protesters scattered but then regrouped and moved forward. When the protest could not be controlled, the police began firing bullets.
The police stated that they fired in self-defense after being pelted with stones. However, the government has not disclosed what kind of damage was incurred on the police side. On the protesters' side, until the posting of this news, 19 people (including 17 in Kathmandu and two in Itahari) have died due to police firing in Kathmandu and Itahari.
Similarly, the treatment of the injured is underway at Civil Service Hospital, Everest, KMC, Bir, Trauma Center, Teaching, and Patan Hospital in Lalitpur. According to information provided by the hospitals, the condition of some of the injured is critical.
Likewise, after significant human casualties occurred in Kathmandu, protests have flared up in other parts of the country as well. In Itahari, Sunsari, protesters turned aggressive and resorted to arson. They set fire to a building of the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City.
Two protesters lost their lives when police opened fire in Itahari. The administration has imposed a curfew in the metropolis.
The National Human Rights Commission has expressed concern, stating that excessive force was used.
“It is tragic that such protests turned into vandalism and arson, and that security forces used excessive force,” the Commission said in a statement.
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