The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has blamed the government’s failure to anticipate the intensity of the Gen Z demonstrations as well as the declining morale of security agencies for the huge loss of lives and properties on September 8 and 9.

In a brief monitoring report on Friday, the constitutional human rights watchdog said the first half of the first day of protest on September 8 was peaceful. “Incidents of arson, followed by the deaths of protesters in police shootings later in the day, resulted in violence. Monitoring revealed that the deaths caused by police firing on the first day led to indiscriminate arson and vandalism on the second day,” reads the report.

The commission said the report is based on its continuous monitoring of the situation across the country during and after the Gen Z protests, which were launched to demand an end to corruption and establish good governance.

“The government’s inability to assess possible causes that could have led to such incidents reflects a serious weakness. The decline in the morale of security personnel after the incident has created further challenges to maintaining law and order,” the report says.

The two-day Gen Z protest ultimately claimed 75 lives, including of youths, security personnels and inmates, as several injured victims died in the days that followed. The commission’s monitoring shows that 938 civilians and 1,379 security personnel were injured during the violence.

The commission’s monitoring found arson had caused significant damage to important government buildings, political party offices, private residences, commercial buildings, educational institutions, media houses, and police stations. Weapons were taken away from security forces, and there were reports of theft and looting.

“Stolen weapons have not yet been recovered, and not all escaped prisoners have been recaptured, leading to a sense of insecurity among the public,” reads the report. Among 29,000 inmates from 75 prisons, 14,455 prisoners escaped from 27 prisons during the protests. The commission’s monitoring found that around 7,500 prisoners have returned, while about 7,000 remain missing.

Many police buildings were destroyed by fire. Although some have been repaired or rebuilt with community help, lack of full reconstruction has disrupted the delivery of police and security services. Further, managing the return of escapees from prisons and juvenile correction centres has become a serious challenge.

“Children were killed and injured, and educational institutions were damaged during the protests. Parents, children, and teachers remain fearful, and many schools have not resumed regular operations,” reads the report. “The fearful environment has affected regular education and negatively impacted children’s mental health.”

Five journalists were injured in police gunfire and physical attacks. Media outlets including Kantipur Media Group, Annapurna Post, Himalaya TV, and others suffered arson and vandalism.

“Journalists reported a fearful environment that hinders their ability to freely report, write, and broadcast news. Overall, there has been a challenge to the exercise of freedom of expression,” the commission further said. “Damage to business establishments has put the jobs of many employees at risk, raising concerns about rising unemployment.”

The constitutional body has recommended that the government work to boost the morale of security forces and strengthen the overall law and order situation. It has also suggested giving special attention to rebuilding government structures damaged by arson and vandalism, and assessing losses to private property, and identifying the root causes of such violent incidents to prevent recurrence.

Officials at the commission say they are working on two reports—monitoring, and investigation—simultaneously to find out what happened on September 8 and 9.

“The monitoring report will be out in a week and so but it will take some time to finalise the investigation report. The report will have findings about the use of force by security forces,” said Manoj Duwady, a member of the commission.