Nepal’s law enforcement, particularly Nepal Police, currently operates with a crisis of confidence due to last month’s violent Gen Z protests.

As the interim government prepares for the March 5 parliamentary elections, questions remain whether a force still recovering from trauma can effectively maintain order in this crucial period.

Police officials and security experts believe that the morale of the force suffered a serious setback after the protesters not only looted their weapons and ammunition but also stripped them of their uniform. Moreover, scores of police posts have been destroyed, making them unusable.

In such circumstances, a pressing question arises: how will the police ensure law and order?

Although the Gen Z uprising stopped after two days of protests on September 8–9, people still fear incidents of violence as representatives of various Gen Z factions and a few other groups have threatened to launch protests if their demands are not addressed.

Also a group led by Durga Prasai, a controversial medical businessman, has threatened to launch a movement after Tihar and Chhath festivals demanding “restoration of monarchy”.

The Kathmandu District Administration Office on Friday prohibited all forms of demonstrations, assemblies, and motorcycle rallies planned for Saturday in the district, citing potential threats to peace and security. The district administration banned such activities after rival groups planned rallies for Saturday.

“The image of colleagues brutally beaten to death before our eyes is still fresh,” said a Nepal Police officer asking not to be named. “The pain of having to surrender after removing our uniforms just to stay alive still lingers.”

They were forced to flee through drains mixed with sewage; some officers were urinated on by protesters, while others witnessed such scenes firsthand, the officer said.

Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire, however, claims that the morale of the police force has not weakened. The Police Headquarters instructed officers to return to their respective areas of duty immediately after the incident.

Although some issues persist in some parts of Kathmandu, he claimed that police operations outside the Capital have largely returned to normal.

Following the incidents of September 8 and 9, arrangements were made for some officers to work temporarily outside their regular stations. A majority of them have now resumed duties in their original postings, he said.

Acknowledging the severity of the situation, Ghimire nonetheless stated that officers had joined the force with full awareness of such risks. He noted that the organisation had endured even more difficult times during the decade-long Maoist insurgency until 2006. He added that the police institution has regained its footing after such a crisis.

“It might have been difficult for us to resume normal duties,” Ghimire said. “But within days of the protests, local communities themselves began helping rebuild police infrastructure and cooperating closely with the police in their locality. These developments helped the situation quickly return to normal.”

A senior superintendent partly agreed with the police spokesperson’s remarks. He noted that, unlike in Bangladesh last year, where, following the student protests, even residents had to plead with the police to resume their duties, the situation in Nepal was different. “Here, the police did not show such reluctance to return to normal operations,” he said.

While the protests certainly left some impact on the force, our organisation did not experience a loss of morale to the extent of making the force incapable of carrying out its regular duty.

However, he was quick to add that the post-traumatic stress was observed among some officers.

“It’s not that the police organisation was unaffected by the movement,” said a police officer requesting anonymity so as not to discuss the sensitive matter publicly. “Some colleagues may indeed require post-trauma healing, and it’s the organisation’s responsibility to recognise that and do the needful.”

The psychological impact on the police has not only come from the government’s actions but also due to protesters’ behaviour. After the Gen Z protests, officers whose morale had already taken a beating were verbally abused by the public while on duty.

In Kathmandu’s Buddhanagar, for instance, a young man threatened an on-duty officer, pointing his finger aggressively at him following the Gen Z uprising. The police officer did not retaliate.

The video of the incident went viral on social media. Although the man was eventually arrested, the incident created an impression that police officers were helpless. This situation could further demoralise the force, the officer said.

According to an officer at the District Police Range Kathmandu, police officers in areas other than Balaju, Bauddha, Gaushala, and Baneshwar have resumed operations, and the demolished buildings have been repaired with the support of local people. But having a building and personnel alone is not sufficient for effective policing.

“It is not yet possible to say when the police offices will begin operating at full capacity,” the officer said, on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

Claiming that public impression matters a lot when it comes to maintaining law and order, he said no institution that was attacked during the protests is currently operating at its full capacity.

To make things worse, nearly 15,000 detainees escaped from several prisons and detention centres across the country on September 9.

Former additional inspector general Surendra Shah said that the responsibility for maintaining law and order in society does not rest solely on the police but also on other state agencies.

Shah believes that elections could be held under the current circumstances only if the interim government and political parties work together to create an environment conducive for that.

“The scale of attacks on the police this time was unprecedented. However, it was not the first instance of assaults on the force,” Shah said.

He also recalled the 1999 general elections, held amid a challenging political scenario due to the ongoing Maoist insurgency.

“During that time, despite the presence of armed groups opposed to the election, the polls were successfully held,” Shah said. “There is no reason why elections cannot be held now.”