 "Dramatic videos circulating online show streets engulfed in flames, shops looted, and angry crowds confronting security forces. File image/Reuters")
Nepal has been shaken by one of its deadliest youth uprisings in recent memory. What started as anger over the government’s sweeping ban on social media has quickly escalated into violent clashes in the heart of Kathmandu and beyond.
Dramatic videos circulating online show streets engulfed in flames, shops looted, and angry crowds confronting security forces. The scale of the unrest turned deadly as at least 20 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in just two days of protests.
As locals struggle to cope with the unrest, thousands of students, tourists, and workers have been caught in the middle. From burned hotels to cancelled flights, their stories are filled with fear and uncertainty.
Here’s a closer look at what they’re facing
‘I want to go home right now’
Among those worst affected by the unrest in Nepal are Indian students, many of whom are now confined to their campuses as the streets outside remain unsafe.
Binita Manna, a second-year MBBS student at Birat Medical College in Biratnagar, told News18 that while she is safe inside her campus, the chaos unfolding outside has left her deeply anxious.
According to her, miscreants are taking advantage of the unrest, leading to widespread incidents of arson and looting. “A shopping mall just 10–15 minutes from our campus was set on fire. The situation is very tense,” she said.
College authorities have assured students of their safety, but the fear is hard to shake off. “Though the college authorities have assured us they will protect us, the situation is not good. We are very afraid,” Binita added.
Her exams, scheduled for this week, have been postponed indefinitely. To make matters worse, she is struggling to stay connected with her family due to patchy mobile networks. “Yes, I’m in touch with my family, but the network is not working properly. My family is extremely worried, and so am I,” she said.
Meanwhile, the protests have only grown more aggressive. On Tuesday, Gen-Z demonstrators stormed Nepal’s parliament and even breached the Singha Durbar, the country’s main administrative complex in Kathmandu. According to local reports, protesters forced their way through the gates while security forces struggled to regain control.
A day earlier, clashes between demonstrators and security forces had already turned deadly. Eyewitness accounts reported by PTI said security forces used water cannons, tear gas, and even live rounds. Dozens were killed and hundreds more injured.
For students like Binita, the violence feels overwhelming. Her only wish now is to return to India. “I want to go home right now. I don’t know how, but I want to go back,” she said, her voice trembling with fear.
‘They are not sparing tourists’
The protests have not only shaken locals but also left foreign visitors traumatised. Among them is Upasana Gill, who had travelled to Nepal to host a volleyball tournament. She recalled a terrifying escape after the hotel she was staying in was set ablaze by a mob.
“I had come here to host a volleyball league, and currently, the hotel where I was staying has been burned down. All my luggage, all my belongings, were in my room, and the entire hotel was set on fire. I was in the spa, and people were running behind me with very large sticks, and I barely managed to escape with my life,” Gill told reporters.
She described the atmosphere as “very bad,” with fires being lit across streets. “They are not sparing tourists here. They don’t care if someone is a tourist. They are setting fires everywhere without thinking, and the situation has become very, very bad here," she said. Gill, stranded in Pokhara, has since appealed for help from the Indian embassy.
The chaos has also reached Nepal’s power centres. Apart from parliament and the Supreme Court, the homes of top leaders were not spared. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s residence in Balkot, Bhaktapur, was set on fire.
Other footage shows tyres and plastic being burned on deserted streets. Large groups of young men on two-wheelers roamed the roads near Kathmandu airport, even as the army tried to maintain order.
Tourists stranded for hours at airports
The chaos in Nepal has also left hundreds of tourists stuck in Kathmandu after flights were abruptly cancelled and the airport suspended operations.
Among them was Rajani Maski, a Karnataka-based woman who found herself trapped at the airport for hours. “We were stranded in the airport for 10 hours and were later transferred to a hotel as the situation continued to escalate. We don’t know how to return to Bengaluru,” she told The Indian Express.
Maski, who works in the USA and had joined a Manasarovar trip after visiting Bengaluru, said her hotel asked her to leave early in the morning as fears of violence grew. But when she reached the airport, no flights were running.
Both IndiGo and Air India had suspended flights to and from Kathmandu amid the worsening security situation and airport shutdown.
“There was no way to leave the airport. By evening, we tried to step out, but there was no taxi or any vehicle. The airport authorities also warned us that the situation could escalate at the terminal. We managed to get a military vehicle and reached a hotel nearby. We tried calling the hotel where we stayed, but all major hotels in Kathmandu are closed,” she added.
Authorities have since reopened the airport. Flights resumed on Wednesday after officials held a high-level meeting and the Nepal Army imposed nationwide restrictions in a bid to control the violence.
India releases emergency numbers, urges citizens to remain alert
The crisis has also prompted swift action from New Delhi. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal released emergency contact numbers for citizens stranded in Nepal.
In an official statement on Tuesday, the government expressed sorrow over the deaths and urged Indian nationals to remain alert.
“We are closely monitoring the developments in Nepal since yesterday and are deeply saddened by the loss of many young lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with families of deceased. We also wish speedy recovery for those who were injured,” the statement said.
It further advised Indians to exercise extreme caution and strictly follow local guidelines, especially with curfews now in place across Kathmandu and other major cities.
With input from agencies