On September 8, police opened fire on protesters in New Baneshwar while they tried to storm into the Parliament building, killing 19 on the first day and raising the toll to 58 within two days. Hundreds were injured, and damage to public, private, and state structures was widespread. But why did the police act so violently and indiscriminately on the first day?

1. Government failure in security planning: Despite prior knowledge of the planned Gen Z protests, the government did not prepare a proper security strategy. Kathmandu administration and the Home Ministry failed to coordinate, leaving security forces ill-prepared.

2. Delayed government response: Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak only convened the Central Security Committee meeting after mass casualties had already occurred. Earlier that morning, he and top security chiefs were in a parliamentary committee discussing the police bill instead of monitoring the situation.

3. Leadership vacuum in security agencies: At the time of the protests, Kathmandu Valley Police Office was under acting leadership after AIG Tek Bahadur Tamang’s retirement. The absence of a full-fledged AIG in such a sensitive post left the security chain weakened.

4. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s stance: Instead of addressing public anger or offering condolences, then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli blamed the unrest on anti-establishment forces. He resisted calls to resign until sustained pressure from all quarters.

5. Wider public anger rooted in corruption: Beyond security lapses, long-standing grievances over corruption, misuse of state resources, collusion in major scandals, and unaddressed irregularities had fuelled widespread dissatisfaction, which exploded during and after the state crackdown.

Based on original reporting by Matrika Dahal.