Born on 16 April 2004 in Gorkhaligaun, Khaptadchhanna-7 of Bajhang, Subas Bohara was known for his bright mind and gentle nature. His parents sent him to Satya Badi School in the district headquarters after he excelled in his village school, believing he could achieve greater things. After passing the Grade 10, Subas dreamt of studying law and becoming a judge.

He moved to a regional town Dhangadhi to pursue his studies, completing his plus two in law and enrolling in LLB at Kailali Multiple Campus.

But poverty stood in his way. Despite his parents’ struggles with debt, they could not sustain the costs of rent, food, and education. Subas left his law studies and brought his younger brother to Kathmandu, where he worked while learning Japanese language with hopes of building a future abroad.

He passed the Japanese language test and secured a visa, but his plans collapsed when his father, Deepak, went missing just days before his scheduled departure in April this year.

With the family unable to raise the required 1 million rupees, Subas could not fly to Japan. Disheartened, he left for Bengaluru, India, leaving his brother behind.

His mother, Kaili Devi, followed him there, determined to help him chase his dream. “I told him I would work in India and even borrow from relatives if needed, just so he could go to Japan,” she recalled tearfully. She convinced him to return to Nepal. She hoped he could rebuild his path.

On Monday, Subas cooked breakfast for his younger brother Sandip, a grade 8 student, before sending him to school.

“I’ll be late today, meet a friend, so cook something for yourself,” he told him before leaving for New Baneshwar. That was the last time Sandip saw his brother.

Subas joined the Gen Z protest near the Parliament gates, where he was struck by a bullet that pierced his throat and exited through his back. Protesters rushed him to hospital, but it was too late.

Sandip now sits in their Sundarijal room in shock, refusing food, unable to grasp his brother’s absence. His mother returned from Bengaluru with the help of donations, only to find herself mourning the son she had sacrificed everything for.

“He was the light of our home,” she sobbed. “I went to India to keep that light alive, but it has gone out.”

Neighbours describe Subas as kind and ambitious. “He only needed some financial support to achieve his dream,” said neighbour Pradeep Khadka. “If he had gone to Japan, his family’s fate would have changed. Instead, poverty and the state became his enemies.”

What was once a story of hope—a young man determined to rise above poverty and bring justice to others—ended in grief, leaving behind a family engulfed in sorrow and a village mourning a son who never got the chance to fulfil his dream.