Upasana Gill, an Indian woman trapped in Pokhara, sends out an urgent plea for help. Gill went to Nepal for the volleyball league, but she got hemmed in by the violent protest.
Gill recorded a video capturing her harrowing effect when the protesters targeted the hotel she is in and disseminating testament of her escape, leaving all her belongings behind.
She stated in the appeal, “My name is Upasana Gill, and I am sending this video to Praful Garg. I request the Indian embassy to please help us. All those who can help us, please help. I am stranded here in Pokhara, Nepal.”
Gill further narrated the traumatic event at her hotel: “I had come here to host a volleyball league, and currently, the hotel where I was staying has been burnt down. All my luggage, all my belongings, was in my room, and the entire hotel was set on fire. I was in the spa, and people were running behind me with very large sticks, and I barely managed to save my life.”
The protest that began for the government’s action on the social media ban had escalated like wildfire. The issue wasn’t limited to the ban but rather demonstrated various severe issues like corruption, nepotism and unemployment. Primarily Gen Z protests led to the resignation of Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The situation in Nepal has worsened sharply, as protesters lash out at both locals and tourists alike.
“The situation here is very bad. Fires are being set on roads everywhere. They are not sparing tourists here. They don’t care if someone is a tourist or if someone has come here for work. They are setting fires everywhere without any thought,” Gill reported.
She made an emotional plea for assistance: “We don’t know how long we will stay in another hotel.
“But I just request the Indian embassy to help us… There are many people with me here … Everyone who can help, please circulate this video … This message should be delivered to the embassy. With folded hands, I request all of you, please help us. We are all stranded here.”
This protest led to the foundation of significant political changes in Nepal, as Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli submitted his resignation after protesters entered his office.
In his resignation letter to President Ram Chandra Paudel, Oli stated, “In view of the adverse situation in the country, I have resigned effective today to facilitate the solution to the problem and to help resolve it politically in accordance with the constitution.”
The Nepal Army has imposed strict security measures, with restrictions in place from morning to 5 p.m. and a nightly curfew lasting until 6 a.m.
The army father notified that this protest, demonstration, vandalism, arson, or attacks on individuals and property occurring during the curfew period will be treated like criminal activity.
This protest was initially started by the students over the ban of social media; however, it has escalated towards a more alarming movement against corruption and nepotism, which in turn has resulted in widespread unrest across the country.
