Human Rights Commission Report: Gen Z Protest Was Pre-Planned to be Violent

Kathmandu. The fact that the Gen Z movement held on September 8 and 9, demanding the removal of the ban on social media imposed by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led government and demanding good governance, was not only spontaneous and peaceful, but also had a serious pre-plan to make it violent and destructive, has come to light.

The detailed investigation report of the National Human Rights Commission has concluded that although one group tried to make the demonstration peaceful, another group planned to 'hijack' it and was preparing to even set fire to the parliament building. The commission's analysis is that elements with malicious intent systematically infiltrated the crowd of young people who gathered at Maitighar demanding the lifting of the social media ban and incited violence.

The preparation to make the movement violent had started through digital means even before the demonstration. Under the guise of making the demonstration result-oriented, some individuals hacked into the digital boards and websites of various schools and screened slogans such as 'No more screens, we are on streets' and 'We don't want likes - we want change - 8 September 2025'.

Moreover, the day before the demonstration, a public call was made through the TikTok account named 'wake up Nepal' saying, 'Anything could happen in tomorrow's protest, so be ready with a Molotov cocktail...'. The commission has determined that the artificial intelligence (AI) generated pictures and videos of public structures like the parliament building and Singha Durbar being set on fire even before the demonstration went viral on social media, confirming the pre-preparation for destruction.

In addition, the report points out a serious conspiracy to use students as human shields. A fake Facebook page of the Nepal Police was created, spreading the illusion that the police would not be able to use force on those in student uniforms, and everyone was called to come in school uniforms.

The fact that these social media accounts were deactivated after the incident confirms that this was a planned move. The report states that despite so much information and prior knowledge, the government and security agencies' extreme weakness in deactivating such accounts or dispelling the misinformation.

The report states, 'It appears that a fake Facebook page of the Nepal Police was created and through that page, the Gen Z group was incited to come to the demonstration in student uniforms, with the claim that the Nepal Police would not be able to use force, and thus everyone was called to come in school uniforms. It is found that this fake Facebook page of the Nepal Police disseminated misleading material on social media to the protesters and systematically tried to use students as human shields by involving them in the demonstration, and after the incident, the social media accounts used before the demonstration were deactivated, as revealed by the statements of the security personnel.'

The organizers' pre-preparations and the scene at the demonstration site also appeared suspicious. Sudhan Gurung, Ankit Mall, Khemraj Saudel, and others from the 'We Nepal' organization had obtained permission from the District Administration Office for a peaceful demonstration, stating that 500 to 800 people would attend. However, the organizers had arranged for a first-aid tent, health volunteers, and three ambulances at Maitighar Mandala even before the so-called peaceful demonstration began.

When the leaders of Gen Z, Raksha Bam and Jasmine Ojha, who reached the demonstration site around 9 am on September 8, saw such preparations, they argued with Sudhan Gurung and urged him to return from the demonstration. The commission stated that the organizers could not provide a clear answer to the question of why such extensive medical preparations were made for a peaceful demonstration.

The demonstration, which started from Maitighar at 10:30 am, exceeded the perimeter of the permission granted by the administration and took an ugly turn after reaching in front of the Everest Hotel in New Baneshwor via Babarmahal. In the crowd, which had reached about 25,000, a group of 15 to 20 bikers wearing black t-shirts and with 'TOB' tattoos on their bodies suddenly entered. After this group incited and agitated the crowd, around 12 noon, under the leadership of Sudhan Gurung, the protesters became angry, broke the security barricades, and entered the prohibited area.

The report states, 'After a crowd of about 20,000-25,000 gathered in front of the Everest Hotel, Sudhan Gurung of the 'We Nepal' organization was seen leading the crowd around 12 noon. After Mr. Gurung took the lead, the protesters became angry and attempted to enter the prohibited area by breaking the security barricades, leading to clashes and confrontations with the security personnel, which turned into a riot.'

Only after the confrontation with the security forces did the police use tear gas and water cannons. Subsequently, the enraged crowd pelted stones at the gate of the parliament building and vandalized the armed police's water cannon. The crowd became so violent that they vandalized and set fire to ambulances and even the monitoring team's vehicle of the Human Rights Commission, and assaulted the staff.

The commission's analysis is that the 'TOB' group took over the peaceful protest of the youth and attempted to attack and set fire to the parliament building. It has been concluded that the organizers must bear the main responsibility for the loss of life and property as they made no effort to prevent infiltration when such a destructive situation was created. The commission has pointed out the need for further investigation into who the 'TOB' t-shirt and tattoo-wearing bikers inciting the movement were, what their relationship was with the organizers, and who they were mobilized by.