Why Nepal's GenZ Is Again On Streets Against PM They Elected Just Months Ago

The death of a 25-year-old ride-sharing driver, who set himself on fire after Kathmandu police locked his motorcycle wheel last week, has reignited public fury against the prime minister, Balendra (Balen) Shah-led government. Nepali youths, largely the country's Gen Z population, have returned to the Kathmandu streets questioning the authorities over the incident and demanding accountability from the government, which was elected with an overwhelming majority not even a year ago. 

Ganesh Nepali was waiting for a client on Kathmandu Street on Thursday when cops approached him and abruptly clamped a wheel lock on his motorcycle, according to a report by The Kathmandu Post. Eyewitnesses told the publication that in a desperate act of protest, Nepali poured petrol over his body and set himself ablaze.

He was immediately rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his burn injuries on Friday. But the tragedy brought long-standing grievances against the government and the administration to a boiling point again. 

On Sunday, hundreds of people took to the streets outside the Singhdurbar Secretariat, a government office in the capital. Many of them carried placards with slogans like 'End atrocity against the poor' and 'Respect human rights.' Others also called on the administration to stop illegal arrests and provide shelter to squatters, who are being displaced by the Balen Shah government. 

Balen Shah's Aggressive Posture

According to Nepali media reports, Kathmandu Metropolitan City police's aggressive posture has intensified since Balendra Shah was elected mayor in 2022. Shah's tenure as Mayor was defined by his hardline approach to urban management, especially concerning the clearance of pavements and informal street markets. His other has been to remove riverside squatter settlements.

On numerous instances, these anti-encroachment drives resulted in violent confrontations, stoking anxiety among the public over the lack of compassion for the city's poorest residents.

What Legal Experts Said

Quoting legal experts, The Kathmandu Post reported that the local administration has consistently overstepped its constitutional boundaries, from a regulatory facilitation body to an aggressive force that mimics the tactics of the federal police force, the Nepal Police.

"The legal framework does not envision the municipal police as a force authorised to use physical coercion or riot-control tactics. Their primary mandate is to facilitate administrative functions within the metropolis through persuasion and community engagement," senior advocate Raju Chapagain told the publication.

"When issues arise regarding traffic or street obstructions, the matter should be referred directly to the traffic police. Instead, we have witnessed municipal officers relentlessly chasing vendors, confiscating private property, and physically assaulting citizens, which is entirely illegal," he added. 

What The Law Says

Nepal's Constitution reportedly grants authority to local governments to form and manage municipal police forces. Under this provision, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City Municipal Police Act 2023 was passed during Shah's mayoral tenure.

Ironically, this legislation outlined the duties of the force without granting power to metropolitan police to launch baton charges or detain citizens. Per the act, the primary responsibilities of the force are to safeguard municipal property, protect public parks, monitor sanitation compliance, and assist in the management of local festivals and cultural processions.

Experts point out that there is no legal basis for the municipal police to use force. 

"They are purely a facilitation mechanism. If a situation escalates into a public disturbance or requires physical intervention, the municipal authorities are legally obligated to call upon the Nepal Police. They cannot independently execute crowd control,"  Purna Chandra Joshi, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Nepal Police, told The Kathmandu Post.

Despite these legal limitations, protestors are arguing that the municipal police under Shah's administration have frequently engaged in actions against daily wage vendors. Several videos of such action have gone viral on social media over the years, allowing the model of aggressive urban governance to quickly spread to other municipalities across the country.