What happened in Nepal on September 8 and 9 is no doubt extraordinary. Very few civil unrest in the world have caused the fall of an elected government so rapidly. It has amazed everybody, including the organisers of the so-called Gen Z movement whose banner has been used but who have little influence overall.

As the political parties are slowly recovering from the terrible shock and terror of those fateful days—and as some of them, especially the wiser and younger politicians, seem to take stock and realise their past mistakes and shortfalls—it is high time for intellectuals to independently separate the wheat from the chaff and identify the root causes of the massive number of death and destruction.

Simply blaming “corrupt” politicians is not enough. Political corruption is not the sole cause of the widespread anger and frustration among the masses.

Cultural roots of corruption

Widespread corruption under the ageing political leadership is deemed the main fuel for the Gen Z mass movement. It is a fact, but a partial fact. The discourses have failed to realise that corruption is often closely linked with religion, religiosity, spirituality and culture.

In their fascinating study of 102 countries published in 2023, Yaron Zelekha and Gil Avnimelech note, “We found that hierarchical religions have significant positive associations with corruption levels, while the non-hierarchical Protestant Christianity has significant negative associations with corruption levels.”

Our religious traditions, cultures and customs themselves systematise bribery. We sacrifice buffaloes, goats and chickens in the temples of gods and goddesses, much of which we will see across the country today on Ashtami of the Dashain festival, hoping that they will magically grant our wishes! Even our gods won’t deliver anything without being offered something beforehand!

Could this be labelled a form of spiritual corruption?

Why is the problem of the caste system hurting, humiliating and excluding, and sometimes murdering, members of the Dalit community which comprises 14 percent of the population, not considered at all in these debates? Why is even the Gen Z movement, labelled “a furious youth movement” by The Guardian on September 15, silent about this great problem? Why did the urban youths forget the fact that more than half of Dalit tenants are forced to forsake their surnames to stay in the capital town itself?

If we continue to sweep such deep-rooted discontent among significant chunks of the population under the carpet, pretending that issues of caste and casteism don't exist anymore, the possibility of the outbreak of yet another round of death and destruction remains alive. Pretence is not a cure for sure. This is a serious matter for the interim government, political parties, the “dark energies” (which I shall discuss later), public intellectuals and others.

The 15 days of Dashain have a religious significance. Throughout the year, including those nine days, Damai drummers are restricted at the temple doors. Today, many of them are given the tail ends of the sacrificed animals: A symbol of humiliation signifying where they belong in society. Individuals of the Damai caste and other Dalits are not permitted into the temples of goddesses although they too are devout followers. Sadly, not even the post-Gen Z government has given any thought to this longstanding problem of exclusion and humiliation under the guise of religious and cultural traditions.

The hand of a deep state

There’s a fantastic and hot topic for those aspiring to pursue a PhD research in Nepal: Deep state. The researchers however need courage, determination and skills of an investigative journalist, to conduct the study. A typical anthropological style that shies away from sensitive topics won’t do.

As the fog of war clears, it has become increasingly evident that the deep state—under the guise of the so-called Gen Z movement—was primarily responsible for the massive death and destitution in Kathmandu and beyond on September 9, including the critical infrastructure such as Singha Durbar, the President’s office and the Supreme Court.

Some popular commentators have started talking about the unprecedented power observed in Nepal, calling it “dark energy”, referring to those operating from the shadows. They seem powerful despite not showing their true ideological colours and ambitions in public. That indeed is the typical characteristics of the players of the deep state.

The concept of “deep state” began in Turkey in the 1990s. Dr Austin Barlow’s Deep State Control, published in 2024, is a useful read to understand the concept of the deep state. Many other scholars and authors have written about what a deep state is and how it has become powerful, operating secretly within the legitimate authority of the state, both nationally and internationally.

Jon D Michaels highlighted the significance of the deep state in America in his 2017 academic article The American Deep State, in the following terms: “In a year’s time, a label (deep state) that had practically no domestic resonance has been elevated to the status of public enemy number one.”

It is easy to point a finger at a certain mayor, politician, army officer or anti-corruption activist for orchestrating the deep state violence of early September. It is also easy to blame this country or that for causing the mayhem. But the fact is, many discontented figures even within the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, the Maoist Centre and other parties did play a part clandestinely. And the state party, the parties in coalition, miserably failed to grasp this undercurrent.

Now there is a real danger of other powers operating against the wounded state secretly. Specially the pro-monarchy forces are apparently getting together to have their aims fulfilled. They believe there was a missed chance on September 8 and 9, that only the Hindu religion and Hindu monarch can unite the country and lead it to prosperity. The incredible demoralisation of the mainstream parties has obviously encouraged anti-democratic forces.

Conclusion

The situation is much more dangerous than people generally assume. The Sushila Karki-led government has the great responsibility of doing everything to ensure that such deadly political violence doesn’t repeat under Gen Z, Gen X, Gen Y, Dalit, Janjati, Hindu or any other banner. The deep state must be discouraged in every possible way.

The best way to minimise the recurrence of such violence is to acknowledge the fact that corruption is much more than a pecuniary issue. Such positive action must include the recognition that all of us are corrupt in some way. If there’s a thorough investigation into such moral corruption, many Gen Z frontline activists themselves will be arrested.

The government, parties, intellectuals and others must comprehend, and speak out loud the fact that corruption has religious, cultural and spiritual aspects. The caste system itself is a root cause of corruption.