There was a clear sense of restlessness, dissatisfaction and uncertainty in the air in Nepal because of the overall political and economic environment. While the transition to a full-fledged democracy (from a constitutional monarchy) underpinned by credible political institutions seemed to be an unending one, there was also confusion about the direction in which it was headed. Nepal’s fragile democracy has been rejected by the people and now a new beginning is expected with not just the generational shift but with new experiments in a bid to reclaim Nepal’s cultural-historical identity, besides a responsible democratic setup meant to serve the country.

The latest political developments in Nepal started with authoritarian push by the KP Sharma Oli government (a coalition of UML-Nepal and Nepali Congress) in selectively banning social media apps—and killing 19 young Gen-Z activists (leaving over 500 badly injured) demonstrating peacefully against the rampant corruption and the government’s high-handedness in curbing the freedom of expression with purposefully banning social media apps.

In the history of Nepal, 8-9 September 2025 will be remembered as the darkest days. Nepal as a democracy lost the way it found through the long struggle of the first generation of political leaders, and the Constitutions of 1990 and 2015 seem to have failed to keep the democratic promises, leading to mass disenchantment against self-serving political players (sans a few).

Last time, Nepal grieved similarly when a royal massacre occurred on 1 June 2001 at the Narayanhiti Palace, the then-residence of the Nepali monarchy. Nine members of the royal family, including King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, were killed in a mass shooting during a gathering of the royal family at the palace. This time around, collectively, Nepalese and the entire humanity grieved when young precious lives lost, the power........

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