Gen Z youths gathered near Gen Z Road in Dhangadhi for about two hours on Wednesday, staging a protest ahead of UML leader Mahesh Basnet’s arrival in the city.

Basnet is travelling to Dhangadhi to attend a National Youth Association Nepal event.

Police beefed up security after the protesters chanted slogans and continued their demonstration. Security personnel have kept the group under close watch.

The deployment was further tightened after UML cadres close to the Youth Association also began assembling near the protest site.

Earlier on Sunday, Basnet was on his way to Itahari to attend a youth mobilisation campaign of his party after arriving at Biratnagar Airport when Sanjog Gautam and Arpit Kunwar threw the ink at the car he was travelling in at Airport Road.

The incident came days after a clash in Simara left six Gen Z youths injured.

The confrontation started when activists protested at Simara Chowk to prevent UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and Basnet from travelling to Parwanipur via Simara airport for a youth mobilisation event on Wednesday.

Tensions escalated into stone-pelting near the airport, including flight suspension, a highway blockade, and dismantling of a UML welcome gate and party flags. Flights at Simara airport were halted for several hours following vandalism at the airport gate.