Officials Grow Wealthy While Citizens Struggle – Why I Played a Role in Bringing Down a Government in Two Days
Nepal's youth protesters toppled a leadership in less than 48 hours – but the success involved a deep toll.
"We feel pride, but there is also a mixed baggage of trauma, remorse and frustration," says one organizer, one of the protest leaders.
Fatal Demonstrations and Extensive Damage
Amid dozens fatally injured, last week's rallies were the most violent unrest in the republic in decades.
Official buildings, homes of elites and high-end accommodations including the a major hotel chain, recently launched in July 2024, were set ablaze, vandalized and ransacked.
The partner of a previous prime minister is battling for her life after their house was set ablaze.
The actions symbolized a "wholesale disavowal of the country's present political class for a long period of mismanagement and misuse of public funds," according to a expert.
But the damage to state operations could "rival the toll of the 2015 earthquake which claimed almost 9,000 lives."
The damage isn't just limited to the capital Kathmandu – at least three hundred regional offices throughout the country have been affected.
Financial impacts could reach massive sums of Nepalese rupees, roughly a large portion of the country's GDP, according to national estimates.
'Nepo Babies' and Rising Fury
Two days prior to the deadly demonstration on 8 September, the activist, a youthful activist, shared a video showing a mining site in a protected area.
Our resources ought to benefit the citizens, not "politicians' private limited companies," she stated, calling on her generation to "protest opposing corruption and the abuse of our country's wealth."
Similar to several youth movements in the continent, Nepal's young people actions were leaderless.
For months, resentment had been building against "privileged children", the sons and daughters of influential leaders of all stripes, who were accused of displaying their unexplained riches on online platforms.
One popular image featured a descendant of a local official posing beside a decoration featuring containers of luxury brands including a fashion house, a luxury label and Cartier.
In response, he said it was "an unfair reading" and that his parent "gave back all earnings gained through public service to the community."
The activist had viewed nearly every "elite content" footage, but one video juxtaposing the wealthy existence of a political family and an ordinary citizen who had to find work in a foreign land struck her.
"This is painful to observe, notably knowing that even educated youth are pushed to leave the homeland because income domestically are much lower than what one needs to survive decently," she said.
An Emerging Republic Struggling Turmoil
Nepal is a young democracy. It became a democratic nation in the late 2000s, after a prolonged, Maoist-led conflict that took more than 17,000 people.
But the anticipated security and economic growth did not come. In a generation, Nepal has had multiple administrations, and not a single prime minister has served a full five-year term.
The country's political landscape are like a game of rotation, with communist parties and the middle-ground Nepali Congress swapping to govern.
The country's income per person remained under $one thousand five hundred, rendering it the second-poorest nation in the region, behind only Afghanistan.
About a significant share of the public labor overseas, and a third of families receives money from abroad.
The activist is from a middle-class family in the country's east and her father is a retired school instructor.
In the past, she was diagnosed with a medical condition, for which she is currently receiving treatment.
The treatment expenses virtually financially ruined her relatives, so her relative emigrated to a foreign country to help them.
From Peaceful Protest to Widespread Chaos
Prior to the actions, Ms Pandey worked with peers to establish principles emphasizing non-violence and civility and reminding attendees to stay watchful toward "hijackers".
Early of September 8, she went to Maitighar Mandala in the capital with multiple of her allies.
She was expecting thousands would turn up maximum – but the crowds kept increasing.
A participant, a female activist, said that the situation were initially non-violent and communal.
"We were all seated, we were singing {old Nepali songs
