The main agenda of last month’s youth-led protest that has come to be known as the ‘Gen Z uprising’ was accountability, good governance and transparency. The movement toppled the KP Sharma Oli-led government and catapulted to power former chief justice Sushila Karki.

The label ‘Gen Z’ has since come into widespread use across the country, a political buzzword that has become a household name. But it has also been abused by unscrupulous actors. Some collectives identifying themselves as ‘Gen Z groups’ have been involved in fraudulent activities, using coercive tactics to extort money from people from various walks of life.

Citing the failure of long-ruling political parties to curb widespread corruption, ensure good governance, and end nepotism and favouritism, various youth-led groups took to the streets on September 8. The uprising forced then-prime minister Oli to resign on September 9 and led to widespread vandalism and arson, which the groups have blamed on infiltrators.

Following Oli’s resignation, Karki was appointed as the prime minister of the interim government on September 12, representing the Gen Z movement.

With some individuals engaging in fraudulent activities under the Gen Z name, there are concerns that the spirit and credibility of the movement could come into question.

Take an incident that happened earlier this month. At around 1 pm on Sunday, a group of unidentified people entered the office of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited located in Tripureshwar, Kathmandu. When the group of 12 individuals linking themselves with the Gen Z movement made demands that were against the law, the police were informed.

Upon receiving the information, a team from the Kathmandu District Police Office reached KUKL and detained eight individuals who were involved in the commotion, according to Pawan Kumar Bhattarai, the spokesperson of District Police Range Kathmandu.

However, after preliminary investigation and for further inquiry, the police handed them over to their guardians and released them.

This, however, is not an isolated incident.

More such incidents have come to light of individuals misusing the name Gen Z to exert unnecessary pressure on public institutions and officials for personal gain.

Police on Wednesday arrested Arjun Shahi, who had been threatening various government offices by identifying himself as a Gen Z activist, from Koteshwar, Kathmandu.

According to Bhattarai, investigations are ongoing against Shahi.

Shahi, a 26-year-old from ward 4 of the Panchadewal Binayak Municipality in Achham, had threatened the Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority Pradeep Adhikari and demanded his resignation.

Shahi, along with a group of other youths, had also visited various offices such as the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) with memorandums.

Shahi was seen flanking Gen Z representatives such as Sudan Gurung at the President’s Office (Sheetal Niwas) during the swearing-in of Sushila Karki as prime Minister. Since then, he has been engaging in unlawful activities at various public institutions, according to police.

According to Bhattarai of the Kathmandu Police Range, Shahi is under investigation on various criminal charges, including banking offences and foreign employment fraud.

“Of late, police are vigilant about the unauthorised activities being carried out in the name of Gen Z, and action has been taken immediately against such individuals,” said Bhattarai.

In the name of the Gen Z groups, some youths have already begun visiting various project offices, and social organisations, soliciting donations by invoking the prime minister’s name.

After a group claiming to be Gen Z began collecting donations for medical treatment, Prime Minister Karki herself was compelled to issue a statement.

On October 13, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had to release a notice, urging the public not to collect donations using the name of the prime minister.

Amid this, Sudan Gurung, who is believed to be an influential individual behind the present government’s functioning, has said that they are considering forming a watchdog organisation shortly.

“We are aware that people in the guise of Gen Z are misusing the movement. To deter such activities, we will soon come up with an organisation,” Gurung told the Post. “We will also request the home ministry to take initiatives to control such activities.”

Asked about their preparations to form a political party, Gurung said the issue is still under discussion.

Similarly, the case of a Gen Z group of Sindhupalchok demanding a free allocation of 10 percent of the shares from the 45-megawatt Bhote Koshi Hydropower Project drew widespread criticism.

After a month-long protest by the local Gen Z group, an agreement was reached under which the project would provide 10 percent of its shares free of cost to ‘Gen Z Public Investment Limited.’

The agreement bears the signatures of Furpa Sherpa, the chairman of the public limited company representing the Gen Z group, and Bishwa Mohan Karmacharya, the secretary of Bhote Koshi Power Company Pvt. Ltd., among others.

However, Amar Baduwal, spokesperson for the Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN), said that while it is true that the Gen Z group had demanded 10 percent shares in the Bhote Koshi project, the shares were actually allocated to the local community, not to the Gen Z group.

“The shares were given to the locals, not to the Gen Z group,” Baduwal said.

The project had initially agreed to provide 6 percent of its shares to the affected locals. However, the locals had not received those shares. Representing the affected community, the Gen Z group intensified the demand and obstructed work at the project site for weeks.

After continuous obstruction, the power company agreed to provide a total of 10 percent of its shares free of cost, comprising the previously committed 6 percent plus an additional 4 percent in line with the Gen Z group’s demand.

According to Baduwal, various local groups in Sindhupalchok in recent days have begun demanding free shares from around 10 other projects in the district.

Govinda Pokhrel, former vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission, has compared the illicit activities to those of the Young Communist League (YCL), the youth wing formed by the Maoist party after joining the peace process, in the wake of the peace accord in 2006.

“After the 2008 elections, YCL members were spreading terror in society,” Pokhrel wrote on social media. “Some Gen Z-ers are doing the same now.”