Nepal Gen Z protest: Normalcy returns in Bara district after Oli’s party cadres arrested for…, they are accused of…

Nepal Gen Z protest: A fresh round of protests by Nepal’s Gen Z youth subsided and normalcy returned in the country’s southern Bara district after the police arrested local cadres of ousted prime minister K P Sharma Oli’s CPN-UML cadres who are charged with attacking demonstrators when the protests erupted on Wednesday.

What are UML cadres accused of?

According to the police, three of the six individuals named in the complaint, including two elected ward chairs from the UML, Dhan Bahadur Shrestha and Kaimuddin Ansari, were arrested on Thursday, and are being held at the District Police Office in Kalaiya, Kathmandu Post reported, quoting Deputy Superintendent of Police Bijayaraj Pandit.

On Thursday, officials had called the Gen Z group for talks to resolve the crisis, but the offer was declined by protesters until those named in their complaint were arrested.

“We are holding talks with the agitating Gen Z youths asking them to calm down,” Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, Chief District Officer of Bara, told news agency PTI, adding that their main demand was action against the UML cadres accused of assaulting protesters.

Curfew lifted in Bara

Meanwhile, officials said curfew was lifted and normalcy returned on Friday in parts of Bara district, near the India(BHARAT)n border ending the latest round of protests by the country’s Gen Z youth. As per reports, markets reopened, schools resumed classes, and transportation services restarted as daily activities picked up across the district on Friday.

“The situation in Bara has become normal now, and the curfew imposed for the past two days has been lifted on Friday,” Mishra was quoted as saying.

What triggered fresh protests in Nepal?

The clashes between Gen Z youth and KP Oli’s party in Nepal’s southern Bara district first erupted on Wednesday after news of CPN-UML general secretary Shankar Pokharel and party youth leader Mahesh Basnet taking off from Kathmandu for Simara for addressing an anti-government rally spread amongst Gen Z members.

Soon, Gen Z protesters gathered at the airport to oppose their arrival, triggering clashes with local CPN-UML cadres, following which curfew was imposed around the airport area to bring the situation under control, while UML leaders cancelled the rally. Three CPN-UML cadres allegedly beat up Gen Z youths staging a peaceful protest at Simara Airport, injuring at least 10 people.

CPN-UML, the party of deposed former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has been organising protests across Nepal demanding reinstatement of the House of Representatives, which dissolved on September 12 following the Gen Z movement that toppled the Oli-led government. Oli had resigned on September 9 following the massive Gen Z protests.

What are Gen Z’s demands?

Gen Z activists have sought action over the alleged mass killing of protesters on September 9 during demonstrations against corruption and the then proposed social media ban under the now-deposed Oli administration.

Following Oli’s ouster, the Gen-Z group who spearheaded the Nepal Gen-Z protests, had demanded the deposed PM’s arrest for his alleged role in ordering the September 8 shootout that killed 19 agitators, including a 12-year-old school boy, when the police allegedly opened fire on protesters during the anti-government protests.

The Gen Z group also demanded that the wealth of all high-ranking leaders and government officials since 1990 must be investigated by a high-level probe commission.

(With inputs from agencies)