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COVER STORY SEPTEMBER 19, 2025 | The Indian Eye 4

NEPAL ON FIRE

YOUTH RAGE OR

REGIME CHANGE?

From Colombo to Kathmandu, a restless generation has taken to the streets. They are young, angry,
online, and increasingly violent — and their uprisings are toppling governments across South Asia

OUR BUREAU
Kathmandu / New Delhi
n the evening of Septem-
ber 12, as dusk settled over
OKathmandu, Nepal’s former
Chief Justice Sushila Karki walked
up the steps of the presidential resi-
dence to take her oath as head of an
interim government. Just days earli-
er, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
had resigned after a wave of Gen Z
protests spiraled into violence, leav-
ing more than 50 people dead and
hundreds injured.
Sushila Karki was appointed as
the head of the interim government
on Friday. She’s Nepal’s first female
Chief Justice, serving from July 2016
to June 2017, and is known for her
integrity and landmark judgments
on transitional justice and electoral
disputes. She began practising law
in 1979, became a senior advocate
in 2007, and served as a Supreme
Court Justice from 2009. Nepal’s A view of the Parliament building, which was set on fire amid the violent protest over alleged corruption,
Gen-Z movement backed her for
her neutrality and credibility. in Kathmandu on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)
Born on June 7, 1952, in Birat-
nagar, Karki has a strong academic Nepal, had demanded that the Par- are staging this movement against tions. In Bangladesh, university stu-
foundation in political science and liament must be dissolved and the corruption, as it is rampant,” said dents clashed with police over cor-
law. Constitution should be amended to youth leader Diwakar Dangal, stand- ruption and vote fraud.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s parliament reflect the will of the people. The ing amid a crowd of protestors wav- Each country’s story is differ-
was dissolved amid widespread Gen streets outside still bore the scars ing smartphones as much as plac- ent, but the themes are shared: dis-
Z protests against corruption and po- of those nights of rage. The Federal ards. Another activist, Junal Gadal, illusioned youth, social media-driven
litical instability, following the Prime Parliament building in Baneshwor declared: “We should choose Sushila mobilisation, and governments col-
Minister’s forced resignation a few was charred black. Media houses and Karki as the best option as the guard- lapsing under pressure. Nepal’s Gen
days prior. This dissolution, while a government offices had been ran- ian of the country.” Z, like their peers elsewhere, have no
key demand of the protesters, has sacked. The Speaker of the House The sight of young people storm- patience left for dynasties and nep-
sparked debate as some political and the Chairperson of the National ing parliament in Kathmandu car- otism. When TikTok videos exposed
parties call for a constitutional reso- Assembly, in a grim joint statement, ried echoes across the region. In Sri the luxury lifestyles of politicians’
lution and civil society urges adher- admitted that “the arson and vandal- Lanka last year, protesters had swum children, the outrage deepened.
ence to legal procedures for the dis- ism that occurred… has caused irrep- in the president’s pool after chasing Online, the hashtag “Nepo Babies”
solution of Parliament. arable damage to the country.” Gotabaya Rajapaksa from office. In became a rallying cry. Offline, anger
Gen Z leaders that spearhead- For many in Nepal, the protests Pakistan, Imran Khan’s arrest saw turned into arson.
ed the anti-government protests in marked a generational revolt. “We his supporters torch military installa- Continued on next page... >>

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