Shubhanga Pandey

When, on 8 September, ‘Gen Z’ packed the streets of the government district in Kathmandu, no more was expected than a larger variation of previous demonstrations against corruption and kleptocracy in Nepal. One of the key complaints was against nepo babies, the children of politicians who flaunt their lavish lifestyles on social media. The government ban on social media a few days earlier had amplified the protest, and secured celebrity endorsements. On 7 September the prime minister, K.P. Oli, had condemned ‘troublemakers’ masquerading as Gen Z. When the police opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators, killing seventeen, the protest transformed into something different.

At my local supermarket, a freshly printed announcement asks customers to avoid bringing in backpacks, but, if they do bring one in, to help the security guard go through it.