For a long time, resentment had been simmering among the youth, Nepal’s Gen Z, against rampant corruption and chronic mismanagement. Frustrated with the repeated failures of successive governments and disillusioned by the recycling of the same political faces across regimes, they reached a breaking point.
Through online activism, they began exposing the harsh truths, calling out “Nepo kids,” the privileged heirs of political dynasties, who enjoyed lavish lifestyles abroad while the nation bled. They revealed how, while ordinary citizens struggled to make ends meet, political elites lived like royalty in foreign lands, spending extravagantly and far removed from the suffering at home.
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To the youth, this wasn’t just politics anymore; it was a question of survival, dignity, and justice.
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On September 8, 2025, this discontent transformed into action. Gen Z organized a peaceful rally, voicing their demand for genuine political reform. Central to their call was the need for new leadership, free from entrenched political interests. They put forth a clear proposal: no corruption, an openly nominated Prime Minister, serving either a single term of 4–5 years, or a maximum of two terms spanning 8–10 years. No leader, they insisted, should exceed two terms in office.
The rally was not just about demanding a change in leadership; it was about giving voice to a generation’s bottled-up frustration. For Gen Z, social media has been the only outlet to express their anger, their grief, and their hope. But when the government moved to restrict and silence these platforms, it only deepened their resolve.
What began as a small movement against the corruption, change in reforms, privilege and arrogance of the so-called “Nepo kids”, quickly started gaining momentum. The demand for accountability was spreading, and the youth were determined to keep their protest peaceful.
But then came the moment that changed everything. During what was meant to be a nonviolent rally, chaos erupted.
At first, the state’s response was measured. Security forces began with rubber bullets, hoping to disperse the swelling crowds. But everything changed once protesters breached and came close to the gates of Parliament.
In that moment of panic, Kathmandu’s Chief District Officer issued a chilling order that turned restraint into bloodshed. Security forces opened fire. More than twenty young protesters, kids with dreams, voices, and futures, were shot dead. Their lives were cut short in the very movement they had ignited. The police opened fire randomly. Young lives were lost in minutes. What was meant to silence the protesters only inflamed their anger. Instead of breaking the movement, the killings ignited a wildfire. The agitation spread like never before, pouring into every corner of the country, uniting the frustrated, the broken, and the voiceless.
That day, September 8, 2025, became a watershed moment in Nepal’s history. The tragedy turned grief into fury. What had started as the voice of Gen Z demanding reforms now transformed into a nationwide uprising. It was no longer only about corruption or leadership; it became about justice for the fallen and the future of the country itself.
The day ended in gunshots, clouds of tear gas, and streets littered with chaos. Anger and frustration hung heavy in the air, as families searched for their children and hospitals overflowed with the wounded. What was meant to be a peaceful expression of dissent had turned into a national tragedy.
But beneath the sorrow and rage, something deeper had taken root, a seed of devastation, waiting for the next day to unfold. The youth who once sought change through words and rallies now stood on the edge of a storm that could redefine the nation’s future.
And then came yesterday, September 9, 2025, just four hours that shook the nation to its core. In that short span, the country itself seemed to kneel. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, under unbearable pressure from the streets and abandoned by the state machinery meant to protect him, was forced to resign. Within hours, he had left the country.
What made it all the more remarkable was not only the speed but the silence of those who could have stopped it. After the bloodshed of September 8, neither the Armed Police Force nor the Nepal Police could bring themselves to directly act against the protesters. The very institutions that once upheld the government’s authority stood down, allowing the tide of public fury to sweep unchecked.
We did not see anything like this in the history of Nepal.
What followed was fury without restraint. Politicians were dragged from their homes and beaten by enraged crowds. Their residences, once symbols of privilege, were set ablaze. The anger spared almost nothing connected to the political class.
Within hours, nearly 90% of Nepal’s government buildings lay in ruins. Flames consumed offices that had long been seen as the centers of corruption and inefficiency. The Parliament House in Kathmandu, along with provincial assemblies across the country, was reduced to smoldering shells.
It was more than destruction of property, it was the destruction of trust, of legitimacy, of an entire political order that had failed its people.
By 10 p.m. yesterday, the tide had shifted once again. The Nepal Army stepped in, formally taking charge of the nation. The Armed Police Force, too, moved in under the military’s command. A nationwide night curfew was declared.
Yet the streets told a different story. Across many towns, armed gangs and goondas prowled freely, defying the curfew. Violence and lawlessness lingered in pockets where the state’s reach remained thin.
In Kathmandu, the epicenter of the uprising, order is only beginning to return. The army’s presence has brought a fragile calm, with residents slowly starting to comply. For now, people seem to place their trust in the army’s stern resolve, backed by a clear mandate: maintain peace at any cost.
Slowly people are going back to their lives.
Nepal’s political system today lies in shambles. The institutions that once carried the weight of governance, the ministries, the courts, the assemblies, have largely been reduced to ashes. Politicians’ homes across the country have met the same fate, consumed by fire and rage. The Prime Minister has fled, yet the government lingers in limbo, neither formally dissolved nor replaced.
In this vacuum, uncertainty reigns. A few voices have begun to emerge, staking claims as saviors and interim leaders. But no official step has yet been taken to declare the government dissolved, a move the nation anxiously awaits.
Sagar Dhakal, Kul Man Ghising names rose but among the figures stepping into the spotlight is Balen Shah, the Kathmandu Mayor and youth icon whose identity as both rapper and reformist politician has earned him credibility with Gen Z. His words in recent days, calling for calm and restraint, are credited with helping to ease tensions in the capital, even as violence raged elsewhere.
For many young people, Balen represents not just a leader but a symbol of generational change. Whether he, or anyone, can turn that trust into a stable new order remains the pressing question.
The true extent of the losses cannot yet be measured. With the Prime Minister gone and the government effectively paralyzed, Nepal is, for the moment, a nation without leadership. Only the army’s intervention has prevented complete anarchy, as it now shoulders the burden of restoring law, order, and a semblance of stability.
But the ruins speak louder than any decree. Across the country, state government offices lie charred or abandoned. The Parliament building in Kathmandu has been destroyed, and provincial chief ministers’ offices are in similar condition. Judicial complexes and administrative centers, once symbols of governance, have been reduced to rubble.
For now, the priority is survival and calm. Only once normalcy returns will the country be able to truly count its losses, financial, political, and above all, human.
Unfortunately, the chaos created opportunities for opportunists. Some protesters, along with criminal elements who saw the unrest as a chance to exploit the situation, stormed prisons, breaking them open and freeing inmates. Criminal gangs soon merged with the crowds, escalating the violence and turning the movement into a lawless frenzy. Across Nepal, streets became unsafe as armed criminals roamed freely.
With government buildings destroyed, ministers displaced, and security in disarray, the judicial system has effectively collapsed. Even the Supreme Court has been reduced to ashes, alongside state and district courts, leaving the nation without any functioning mechanism of law or justice.
Nepal now faces a dual crisis: a government in ruins and a society where law, order, and justice have temporarily vanished.
Rebuilding Nepal will not be easy. It will require time, effort, and a collective commitment from its people. Yet, amidst the chaos, a remarkable sense of optimism is emerging.
Many believe that for meaningful change to occur, upheaval must precede it. The destruction, as tragic as it is, has cleared the way for a new beginning. And the youth, Gen Z, who ignited the movement are ready to step forward, to assume responsibility, and to shape a future that aligns with justice, transparency, and accountability.
For Nepal, this painful chapter may well become the catalyst for a rebirth, led by the very generation that refused to remain silent.
At present, there is no inclination to blame any foreign entity for the upheaval in Nepal. The speed of events was staggering, a government toppled in a single day. Such a dramatic collapse normally requires years of planning, not an overnight eruption. This underscores the spontaneous and homegrown nature of the movement, driven entirely by the frustrations and determination of the nation’s youth.
As the unrest escalated, even media personnel were not spared. Journalists attempting to record and report the chaos became targets, as criminal elements within the crowds sought to prevent documentation of their actions.
In one of the most shocking incidents, the entire buildings of several media houses were set ablaze. The attacks were not merely on property, but on the very institutions tasked with keeping the public informed. This assault on the press only intensified the atmosphere of lawlessness and fear, leaving Nepal’s citizens even more vulnerable amid the chaos.
Even amid the chaos, destruction, and attacks on journalists, the role of the media remains more crucial than ever. As storytellers and witnesses, we have the responsibility to shine a light on the truth, document the struggles, and amplify the voices of those striving for change. While the nation rebuilds from its ashes, the media stands ready, not just to report history, but to help shape a future where accountability, justice, and hope prevail. In every challenge lies the opportunity to inform, inspire, and guide the country toward a brighter tomorrow.
(As told to Lakshmana Venkat Kuchi)