Remember their names

 21, 51, and now 72. The death toll has been rising through the week. 17, 29, 19, 21, 38. The majority who were killed since 8 September were Nepal’s young and hopefuls. 

Not all names have arrived since not all bodies have been identified. Some families still wait. The nation is in mourning today 17 September. Beneath this grief lies deep seated anger. 

Each of these names belongs to a young life cut short in their prime. Shriyam Chaulagain, 18, a Grade 12 student at Global College, was shot in Baneswor while returning home from class, still in his college uniform. 

Subash Bohara, 23, from Bajhang, dreamt of becoming a judge. A bullet tore through his neck outside parliament; his mother Kaili, travelled four days to see him one last time. She never had the chance to go to school but taught herself just enough to write her name. With that very signature, she authorised the autopsy of her 23-year-old son. 

Rashik Khatiwada, 23, was shot twice in the chest. His uncle, Rasik KC, found out about the death after seeing clips on social media. Rashik’s mother clung to her son in their final moments together at Pashupatinath - a farewell no mother should have to face.

Abhishek Shrestha, 23, was supposed to fly to Saudi Arabia on 13 September. Instead  his father landed in Kathmandu from Dubai that very day to perform his last rites. Abhishek was shot dead in Itahari on the way back from collecting his final paycheck from his workplace.

Nikita Gautam, 19, a recent high school graduate, was watching from her terrace protesters on 9 September set fire to a neighbourhood police station. Police were firing back, one bullet hit Nikita in the chest. She died on the way to hospital.

Sulabh Raj Shrestha, 25, was a civil engineering student and a district-level cricket player in Banke. On 8 September, Sulabh was shot by security forces guarding Parliament. He was rushed to the National Trauma Center where he died.

Each of these names carries great weight. Each life is a story. Each death an indictment. These young lives carried hope, promise, and the belief that Nepal could change for the better. Their martyrdom must not be in vain. This is not the first time Nepal has lost its youth to the state’s bullets. Civil war atrocities still fester without justice. 

The 72 of the GenZ protests who were killed received a Guard of Honor and were declared martyrs as their bodies were taken to the pyre following a tribute rally through the city. It rained, as if the skies were weeping. 

This new government in which Nepal’s youth have placed so much faith must now rise to this moment. Accountability cannot be deferred. Justice must not be delayed. 

And the rule of law must apply equally for violence committed by the state as well as all other forces. To betray these innocent lives and their families, would be to betray all of Nepal’s future.  

Nishi Rungta

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The names of those killed in the GenZ protests projected on houses across Kathmandu Valley this week as Nepal marked a day of national mourning on Wednesday. The tribute was organised by a group of Nepali artists.

More names as being added as they become available. 

Names collected from various social media posts. Twelve of the 72 dead have not yet been identified.