Nirmal Saru Magar, an 18-year-old from ward 4 of Bhumikasthan Municipality, in Arghakhanchi district, was shot dead in Baneshwar on September 8 during the Gen Z protests.

He had passed his grade 12 examinations earlier this year and recently moved to Kathmandu to pursue higher studies while working as a delivery rider to cover rent and food expenses.

Living in Kirtipur, Nirmal often reassured his parents that he would manage both work and study. His father, Chandra Bahadur, has been working in Qatar for over a decade to educate his three children.

“My son used to tell me not to work abroad once he could earn. All my hopes are gone,” said the grieving father.

Neighbours recall that Nirmal wanted to bring his father home from foreign employment and support his younger brother, 12, and sister, 9, through school. Days before his death, he had promised his mother new clothes for Dashain.

His family now says their dreams are shattered. “He wanted to make a better future, but was killed by the state’s bullet,” his father said.