The wall of the Parliament House collapsed in front of me, flames erupted all around: Senior journalist from Kathmandu speaks to Bhaskar, 'Agitation will become more fierce'

When the agitation started at 11 o'clock, I was near the Parliament. Soon there was a riot in a very quiet atmosphere. The army and the youth came face to face. The youths were pelting stones at Parliament in full anger. There was a tense atmosphere on both the police and the youths. The youth have also demolished the walls of the Parliament. I also interacted with many students. The only thing on his face was that banning social media was the wrong decision. While many students also raised the issue of corruption. Vehicles were burning all around, while others were fighting with each other. There was an atmosphere I had never seen in my 15 years of reporting. These are the words of Prakash Dhakal, a senior journalist from Nepal. Since yesterday afternoon in Nepal, Jenji, i.e. youth aged 14 to 24, have started a nationwide movement. The collegiate youths in school dress went straight to the MP and started vandalism all over Nepal. As the situation spiraled out of control, the Army had to intervene and opened fire to stop the students. In which 19 youths were killed, the movement has taken a fierce form. But where did this movement begin? What factors are responsible? Divya Bhaskar spoke to Nepal's senior journalist Prakash Dhakal to know in detail about who is behind and what is the current situation. Those who are currently reporting live on the movement there. So let's get an idea of the situation from him. Why did Gen Zee take over the whole of Nepal? Prakash Dhakal, a journalist with Nepal's national media 'Desh Sanchar', is originally from Kathmandu and has been working as a journalist for the last 15 years. Prakashbhai, what is the main reason behind this nationwide movement? Talking about the movement, Prakashbhai said, "The main reason behind the youth protest is the ban on social media. The Nepal government has banned all social media platforms that are not native to Nepal, especially Meta (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp). The youth have started protesting against this decision of the government. They are demanding that the government withdraw their decision. It is the Jenzi who are the most likely to protest, which means that it is the youth between the ages of 14 and 28 who have taken over Nepal." When and how did this entire movement begin? Prakashbhai said, "Around 11 am in Nepal, the collegians gathered in Kathmandu, where the highest number of colleges are located, and started protesting. At first, the protest was peaceful. But as the youths gathered and the police tried to stop them, they became more aggressive. There were attacks from both sides and the agitation intensified. The protesters marched towards Baneshwar, where Nepal's Parliament House is located. As the students did not count anyone, the army opened fire and 19 people have died so far, while more than 300 students have been hospitalized with injuries. The fight escalated from both sides. It's 7 p.m. now, the 11 o'clock agitation is still going on even after 8 hours." But what is the reason for such a sudden outbreak of such a fierce movement? Prakashbhai said, "The agitation did not happen suddenly. On Thursday, the government suddenly decided to ban social media, including Instagram-Facebook, from now on. Later, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the youth protested a lot, but the government did not pay heed to them. The protest was internal, and the government did not pay heed to the infighting among the people. So the youth announced that they will protest near the Parliament House on Monday. The government, however, paid no heed. The government was like, 'How many youths will come to protest? 200-500? We will calm them down.' But the situation turned out to be much more intense than expected. More than 20,000-25,000 youths rushed to Parliament and started vandalism in Nepal. The government had no idea of the situation.' He joined the protest in college dress straight from college But why did the youth take to the streets so early? They could also protest peacefully. Prakashbhai said, "The initial plan in Kathmandu was to hold a peaceful protest at the Parliament House. But as the students made their way towards the Parliament, other students saw them and joined them. He also had time because of the social media ban. And so gradually, thousands. That's why most of the protesting students came in college dress.' Even at seven o'clock, there is no telling what will happen At 7 o'clock we are talking, what is the situation on Nepal ground? Prakashbhai said, 'Very bad! There is no telling what will happen on the streets of Kathmandu. Protests are also taking place in cities including Kathmandu, Pokhara, Biratnagar, Sukhet. Protests were held in all the cities from 9 to 11, but they were small demonstrations. After the massive protests in Kathmandu, the agitation took a fierce turn there as well. Civilians are vandalizing all over Nepal. In which they are vandalizing everything in anger. Buses, rickshaws, vehicles are being torched, someone's houses, shops, private and government properties are being vandalised," he said. Is it just because of the social media ban that there is such a big protest? Prakashbhai said, 'No, no, there are two main reasons. The first is social media and the second is corruption! Corruption in Nepal is also increasing day by day, which was already being opposed. With the advent of social media, the demonstration took a violent turn." "Why are 14-28-year-olds joining so much?" 'Because they are the ones who are most connected to social media. Those are the people who have been most affected by the closure of platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram. That's why he's the most opposed, social media has become a part of his life.' No party, no leader: just a mass movement Was there any student organisation or any leader involved in this movement? Prakashbhai said, 'No, no, nobody! This movement is completely disorganized. There is no leader or organisation in this. But yes, many political parties and many young leaders have joined them since the movement began. But they're joining, they're not leading." "What is the government's response to this?" 'Nothing yet. There has been no response from the government yet. But yes, many leaders of the ruling party are against the government's decision.' What was the role of the local police and the army? Prakashbhai said, "They have played a very aggressive role. At least 19 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in the firing. All of them are currently in the hospital. It is because of the police that the death and injury has increased. And now it would not be surprising if the agitation becomes more intense because of this. No one died because of the youth. Secondly, it was a movement without any planning today. Of these, 19 people have died today and the whole of Nepal has been informed. Therefore, the agitation may intensify tomorrow because of the agitated youth. At present, more than three thousand youths are fighting with the police. Even now, everything is going on in Nepal," he said. Why did the government ban social media? What was the reason behind it? Talking about the tussle between social media and the government, Prakashbhai said, "The Nepal government had informed every foreign company, including Meta, that you should formally register in Nepal, and also follow Nepal's rules and regulations for Nepal's social media. However, no company, including Meta, responded to the Nepal government's request for comment. The government repeatedly requested him for an answer, but each of them ignored the government's point completely. And that's why the government banned all those companies." (At the time of this writing, the government has already deployed army personnel across Kathmandu late in the evening. An emergency meeting was also called by the government, in which Nepal's Home Minister Ramesh Lekhik has resigned.)