Nepal Gen Z protest: Bus carrying Indian tourists attacked; several injured

A tourist bus carrying Indian nationals from Andhra Pradesh was allegedly attacked by some protesters in Nepal amid the ongoing protest in the Himalayan nation. The incident took place on September 9 near Uttar Pradesh’s Sonauli on the India-Nepal border.

The bus was carrying 49 Indian nationals, according to officials. Stones were reportedly pelted at the bus, and the incident left many of the passengers injured, including women and the elderly, who were hospitalised in Kathmandu.

Passengers flown back to India

The tourists were returning after offering prayers at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu. Following the alleged attack, the tourists were flown to India on a special plane arranged by the Indian Embassy with the help of the Nepalese government.

“We were returning after having darshan (at the Pashupatinath temple), when suddenly a mob surrounded our bus and attacked without reason. There were women and elderly people among the passengers, but the protesters did not care,” Ramu Nishad, the bus driver, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Nepal’s Gen Z protests

Nepal has been witnessing massive protests following the government’s ban on 26 social media platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube. Although the ban was revoked, the protests continued against the government, which forced KP Sharma Oli to resign from the position of prime minister.

The protesters, mostly the youth, have now proposed that the Parliament must be dissolved and the Constitution should be amended to ‘reflect the will of the people’.    

Nepal eases visa, exit rules for stranded foreign nationals

With the situation continuing to remain tense, the Nepalese government has announced temporary measures to facilitate foreign nationals stranded in the country. Nepalese officials have announced that international travellers whose visas were valid through September 8 can now obtain exit permits and regularise their visas without paying additional fees. The facility will be available both at immigration offices and at departure points.