Asian Monsoon and the storm in Nepal

 Asian Monsoon and the storm in Nepal

-BottleButea

Sept 8, 2025

What has happened today was worse than I had imagined. A huge protest did indeed take place. The government’s action after that quickly turned violent, to a degree which I can’t even believe is real. Right now (10:13 pm), news channels claim 19+ deaths have occurred throughout the country, the number being greater than )what was claimed by some) Mass movement 2, in which 19 people died over 19 days and led to the end of monarchy in Nepal. The scenes displayed and shared in social media were highly gore-y, with scene of even a child dying. The events taking place look straight out of a page from a dystopian future. I am unable to distinguish what is true, false, or propaganda from the huge amount of news that keeps flowing in.

People have alleged police entering and harassing people inside hospitals, using real bullets, searching for people inside their homes, and giving people rape threats. Some friends have verified the hospital and home-threatening scenes, yet they sound so bizarre that I still can’t find myself believing it. It still feels unreal to me how such anarchy can take place here. I am confused whether such brutality was carried out under the police’s own whim or whether such meticulous brutality was ordered by the higher-ups.

I have been an avid believer in peace, and as such have been frequently requesting people on Reddit to be peaceful, but with few upvotes and being called a balatkari jholey (rapist blind folower of the politicians), anyone can guess where the general public is more inclined too. I still believe that peace is the best process. However, the glimpses of police brutality being witnessed everywhere, the red bagmati that is flowing, has further angered the crowd, making a pacifist stance even more unpopular. The government’s decision has been to make the Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak to resign and start an investigation committee on police brutality. However, the youths do not seem to be satisfied. It is still unclear about what happens tomorrow, but they (according to some media and friends) are still out protesting.

One can only guess how far this will go and what changes it will bring, if any. My college has closed for tomorrow but I sincerely hope the violence stops and a peaceful transition takes place. The flow of protests along the Asian line — Bangladesh, Philippines, Indonesia, and now even Nepal — will perhaps in future be given a name such as the Arab Spring, maybe the Asian Monsoon perhaps. The PM ( Khadka Prasad Oli ) has not stepped down, of which I don’t know what to say. Perhaps the recent convention held with his party’s members boosted his confidence? Whatever the case may be, the Bagmati has already been tainted red. Many have been crazed and disgusted, claiming to be out for his head. What will actually happen is yet to be seen. Things will perhaps be more clear tomorrow.

This has been termed as the Gen-Z protest, and has taken inspiration as a symbol of resistance from Indonesia. The flag of the popular anime series One piece was not rare to see. The vigor of the youth however was met with the brutal decision of control by the government. Social media is in a frenzy and people are burning with the want for a revolution. I wonder and I sincerely hope chances of peaceful de-escalation remain. What happens tomorrow and in days to come has the chance to shape landscapes of this country.

P.S. Although international news channels have termed it as protests against the social media ban, I should mention that the ban only acted as a pushing factor, an element rather than the whole story. The high level of corruption and dissatisfaction were indeed the main themes of the protest to anyone who is reading that I hope you can share it further.