The government's crackdown on the Gen Z protests in Kathmandu on September 8 ignited fury among youths, and by the following day that anger had spilled onto the streets of Janakpur just like in the federal capital, Kathmandu, and other major cities. A large number of demonstrators marched straight toward the former Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited (JCFL), which was shut in 2013 and is a historical landmark in Madhesh province and now serves as the headquarters of the provincial government.

What followed was destruction across the factory’s buildings, leaving scars on a symbol of industrial heritage.

JCFL’s main administrative building, which used to be the manager’s office, and the production hall with its machinery were only spared in the violent protests. Nearly every government-used building on the sprawling factory compound was set ablaze and vandalised. The red bungalow next to the main building, which served as the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers’ office, was first stormed.

"The enraged protesters chased away the security personnel who were trying to keep order, breached the chief minister’s office, and then so much destruction followed," said a local eyewitness.

Protesters ripped away the nameplate of the chief minister and council of ministers and replaced it with one that read 'Gen Z Council of Ministers’ in a mocking reference. The Ministries of Education and Culture, Infrastructure and Physical Development, Water Supply and Irrigation inside the factory on the premises were set upon next: fires were started, windows smashed, furniture destroyed.

The offices of Health, Finance, Forests and Environment, and Industry and Tourism—all housed in the large four-story central building where senior officers work—were damaged.

They pressed into the residential zone of the factory next. Dozens of families of provincial government employees live there, but when those residents stood with their hands folded, the protesters spared them personal harm. Still, the office of the Province’s Head and the residences of secretaries were not spared: there, too, fire and vandalism swept through.

The bungalow of the factory's chairman, the guesthouse, and ministers’ residences were less damaged only because of the Nepali Army intervention. More than a dozen vehicles belonging to the provincial government were torched.

The site itself carries significance beyond its government use. The Janakpur Cigarette Factory, established with Soviet assistance in the mid-1960s, once produced brands like Yak, Gaida, Sayapatri, Deurali and more. It employed around four thousand people, paid significant taxes, ran a school, hospital, managed sports teams and had a siren that governed the daily schedules of the city.

“The JCFL factory was not just a factory; it was the livelihood of hundreds of families,” says Anurag Giri, former employee at the JCFL. “For generations, its daily siren made Janakpur wake up, pause for lunch, work, rest—our lives revolved around it.”

That golden age ended long ago. The factory stopped cigarette production in 2012, and formally shut down in July 2013 after years of losses, mismanagement, political interference, and declining competitiveness.

In 2015, the JCFL complex, spreading over 33 bigha [over 22 hectares] of land, was taken over by the Madhesh province government. Most ministries, including ministers' residences, the provincial secretariat, are now located there.

When asked why the compound had been targeted now, Giri said, “This is not about cigarettes; this is about anger towards poor governance and rampant corruption. And after so many broken promises, the buildings of JCFL had become the face of government inaction.” He added, “Seeing the ruins of those halls, windows shattered, gates burned—it hurts to see what was once a symbol of modernity turned into despair.”

Critics say what threatens the factory’s physical structure now goes beyond damage from protest. “It’s been dying slowly,” said Ram Lakhhan Sharma, a former worker. “Machinery rusts, walls crack, water leaks; these are wounds no protest can heal. But today, those wounds have ripped open in public.”

Madhesh Chief Minister Satish Kumar Singh took a firm stance afterwards: “As long as Janakpur Cigarette Factory remains under the ownership of the province, there is no plan to shift offices elsewhere,” he said. “We will repair old buildings, restore what we can.” Singh pointed out that although many structures are dilapidated, since the provincial government has been operating there for years, repair work is being scheduled. “The public place that was once a factory must continue serving the people,” he added.

There are consequences. A High-Level Economic Reforms Commission report submitted in April 2025 recommended dissolving the Janakpur Cigarette Factory as a public enterprise and using its land and buildings for other public purposes.

Bimalendra Nidhi, senior leader of Nepali Congress from Dhanusha, warned that any process to privatise the factory would be resisted. He warned to launch protests against any move to end the glorious history of the JCFL.

The industry minister of almost every government formed over the past one and a half decades assured to revive the factory. But it is now easy.

Giri doubts revival is viable. “With the machines corroded, major parts missing, buildings lying in ruin—it’s not a question of money alone. Who will use those factories? Who will trust those brands again?” he asked. There have been periodic attempts to resume operations. “The recent destruction may seal what was already dying," said Giri.

Residents of Janakpur speak in sorrow. “When the siren rang, we woke up together; when factory buses passed through the gate, we felt proud,” says a retired worker. “Now those gates lie scorched. The pride lies buried in ash.”

The locals of Janakpur used to wake up and sleep with the JCFL siren that sounded at 6:30 am, 7am, 11am, 2:30pm, 3pm, and 11pm.