There is a huge crowd of patients at the National Trauma Center in Mahanakala. Patients who are unable to stand have to stand in the OPD line here.

Journalist Shambhu Dangal is standing in the same line, leaning on crutches. He has been patiently waiting for his turn for an hour and a half. For Shambhu, who was discharged from the hospital after 17 days, coming to the tram from Narayantar has become like a weekly homework. With the help of his brother, he comes to the tram every Friday and gets dressed and returns to Narayantar. Even though he came early and stood in line, this time his turn came very late.

He got dressed only after standing in line for two hours.

Sitting at table number 7 of the hospital canteen, with the help of crutches, he recounts in detail how he was shot in the leg on Bhadra 23.

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Active in journalism for two decades, he is the owner and editor of the magazine Naya Post. On Bhadra 23, he left Narayantar for Baneshwor early in the morning for reporting. He reached Baneshwor at around 11:30. The atmosphere there suddenly changed. The police started firing rubber and metal bullets. He was capturing the scene on photos/videos.

Shambhu, who had experience reporting during the 2009/10 conflict, was aware that he had to take photos/videos safely. Around 3 pm, the Baneshwor area had become a battlefield. 'I was zooming in from a distance to capture a video of the protesters demolishing the wall,' he recalls on Bhadra 23, 'Suddenly, I felt something hit my leg. It started burning.' He could not control himself as blood started flowing from his left leg. Unable to stand on his own feet, some nearby protesters came and helped him.

'Oh! Brother has been shot', 'The blood is still flowing', 'Call an ambulance, call an ambulance'... Similar voices kept ringing in Shambhu's ears. The protesters searched for an ambulance, but it was not found. When the blood started flowing heavily, the protesters carried him to the nearby Everest Hospital. 'The white tiles of the hospital were covered in blood. When we reached there, it seemed like there was no hope of survival,' Shambhu says.

The doctors themselves were in panic. There was only a bandage to stop the bleeding. There was no medicine. 'That day, only a bandage was applied,' he says, showing a photo on his mobile phone. 'When the blood started to appear outside, when another bandage was added from the outside, the leg looked very large.'

Seeing the busyness of the doctors and his condition, the same question kept coming to his mind - if he keeps bleeding like this, will he die after the blood runs out? He would reassure himself - the hospital has arrived. He might survive.

He was referred to Bir Hospital around 5 pm. But no ambulance was found. After waiting for half an hour, he was rushed to Bir in an ambulance along with three injured people.

The situation in Bir was even more terrifying. 'The OPD was emptied and all the injured were kept there on mats, some with their eyes broken and some with their heads broken. Some were crying and some were screaming,' Shambhu thought after seeing the other injured, 'I am a little better than the others!'

It was time to get an X-ray around 7 pm. His left leg was pierced by a 'metal' bullet. The doctor said to operate as the leg bone was also broken. But there was no such environment here . As the hospital filled with injured people, his turn came very late . The night of the 23rd was spent in pain and suffering . 

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On the 24th of Bhadau, more injured people were added .  Shambhu took the help of 'antibiotics' for two days . Only then did the surgery take place . He stayed in the hospital for 17 days . In the meantime, he kept asking himself- I am an active journalist . For 20 years, my only profession has been journalism . I make my living from this . I did not come here out of desire to pursue any other profession . My academic line is also journalism . I have a degree in journalism and am working dedicatedly in this field . What will happen now ? 

He had thought - if journalists get into trouble, there is the Federation of Journalists, various INGOs, NGOs, journalist associations affiliated with political parties, and social organizations. Meanwhile, no organization came to meet him. 'The party pays the membership fee of many journalists to the Federation. But I pay it myself, I have been renewing it myself,' he says sadly, 'In the meantime, I have not even seen the face of the President of the Federation of Journalists. Where has the organization that claims to support journalists disappeared to?'

He thought even after going a little further than the Federation. There is also the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Which is concerned with the media sector. Shambhu was even more saddened by its neglect. A person who was established through media work is now the Minister of Communications. 'It has been about two and a half months since he became a minister. But he did not know how many journalists were injured, their situation "They haven't paid any attention to what's going on yet," Shambhu complained. His complaint is also natural because the current minister has not been in politics for a long time. He says that having spent decades in the media sector, he should have understood the pain and suffering of journalists.

Professional insecurity

Shambhu was walking the line of quitting his job and becoming self-employed. He had recently set up a studio and was working hard with the idea of ​​moving forward through new media.

At the moment, he is not only worried about physical pain, he is also equally worried about the financial crisis. 'It's not even possible for me to get my salary now,' he said, brushing off the flies on his injured leg, 'It's been almost two and a half months. I haven't been able to do any work.' Along with the professional crisis, he is also burdened by family responsibilities.

The government had provided 20,000 for his treatment, while the Federation of Nepali Journalists provided 25,000. 'The general secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists is also my former editor. He came to meet me. He asked for the account. The federation gave me 25,000. Apart from that, there has been no help from anywhere.' He is grateful for the meager help he has received.

Other journalists reporting on the Genji movement and the complex situation that arose after it are also facing the same fate as Shambhu. Be it Dipendra Dhungana of Naya Patrika or Shyam Shrestha of Kantipur Television. They are still struggling for follow-up treatment.

Shambhu says that media houses should take more care of the safety equipment of journalists when they engage in risky reporting. 'There is no orientation for journalists reporting in critical situations, nor is there any provision of necessary materials for them. That media house does not do that either. Some journalists do not have that much knowledge,' he says.

Shambhu, who was thinking about the safety of other journalists, himself faced a crisis during the Covid period. 'There was a similar crisis at that time. I got infected two or three times when I went to the hospital to report. When I got infected, my family got infected. But there was no solution. Even then, there was no such system. We (journalists) are taking risks and going to report, but who is there for us?' he asks.

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The commotion in the canteen has not stopped. New characters are coming. They are leaving. Suddenly, amidst the commotion, token number 232 is heard.

Shambhu is shocked and says, 'No matter how much we talk, this will continue to happen unless we work for the professional safety of journalists in a policy-based manner. We have no choice but to enjoy the story. Now it seems like those days are over.’

He stood up from table number seven of the canteen with the help of crutches. ‘The government had said that they would arrange an ambulance to bring me home.’ But the administrative hassle was so long that even after waiting for 4 hours on the first day, it did not arrive, so I have been using ride sharing.’