Gen-G, a group of people who organized themselves on social media platforms Reddit and Discord, had announced an anti-corruption movement. The date was set for September 8 (23 Bhadra). Gen-G took the initiative after the government banned 26 social media platforms in Nepal for not being listed.

 The first day of the protest was to begin by giving a bouquet to the police and end with songs and poems. The rally that started from Maitighar turned into a riot before reaching Naya Baneshwor.

When the police resorted to brutal repression, 19 youths lost their lives and hundreds were injured in the Naya Baneshwor area. As the incident increased the anger, almost three times that number died the next day, and many government, commercial and private structures across the country were destroyed.

How did the gunfire go off during the protest that was supposed to be about giving a bouquet of flowers? Timeline of the first day of the protest:

9:00 am, gathering at Maitighar

After physical discussions and meetings, Zen-G had decided to gather at Maitighar at 9 am. Some had already issued notices that they would be present at 11 am. The youth had gathered at the corner of Maitighar, where sit-ins and demonstrations are always held, since 9 am.

Some of them were in school and college uniforms. Students carrying books and papers were also seen. Some youths had placards in their hands, some with national flags. Young people were joining in, parking their scooters and bikes nearby. 

9:30 am, information on what not to do during the protest

The leaders of Zen-G entered a white vehicle parked in the middle of the crowd. Some made short statements, and Raksha immediately started speaking with a boom microphone. She started telling people what we do not do during the protest. ‘We know very well what we do, I want to read what we do not do,’ she said, ‘Today we do not break trees and plants, destroy public property, make noise, vandalize and set fire.’ 

Raksha said ‘We do not litter, do not fight and attack, we raise our voices peacefully’ and the crowd said yes...yes... ‘We do not threaten or abuse, we behave civilly and responsibly,’ ‘We do not come with the agenda of a political party,’ she added. And, more importantly, she said, ‘We speak in favor of civil rights and freedom.’

At 10:30 am, protesters headed towards Baneshwor 

Thousands of Zen-jis had already arrived at Maitighar. The number of protesters was increasing. In the meantime, a signal to move towards Baneshwor echoed from the crowd. Zen-jis started chanting slogans against corruption, and suddenly from another corner, they began to chant in unison, ‘Red and moon, sun, our war flag.’ A small group started singing this song, and others also joined in. The atmosphere became different. 

After a while, another group started singing ‘We are of hundreds of flowers...’. Meanwhile, the youth chanted slogans like ‘Leaders in cars, youth in the bay’, ‘Country cannot be sold, corrupt government is not needed’, ‘Corrupt government is a cult of death’. The crowd also carried placards reading ‘Has the government reached the point of looting?’, ‘They took the platform, we took the road’, ‘Where have you been taking bribes, sending your children abroad, eating the people’s sweat, chilling in luxury cars’. Those of a slightly older age group carried placards reading ‘My generation has lost, your generation must rise up’. Some youths had put tape on their masks to show symbolic protest against the ban on speaking.

The crowd covered the road and moved towards Babar Mahal. Unlike in previous protests, there was no specific leader or banner at the forefront. Public and private transport was almost at a standstill. At that time, SSP Bishwa Adhikari, Chief of the District Police Complex, Kathmandu, was also present. 

10:52 am, Oli’s photo was torn 

As soon as they reached the Nepal Telecom office after passing through the district court, a picture of the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was seen on an electricity pole. The youth climbed the pole to tear the picture.

Bablu Gupta, Raksha Bam and others riding in a white vehicle in the middle of the demonstration urged them not to get angry, but the youth who climbed the pole tore Oli's poster. After being pulled down, they were trampled. The Gen-G leaders were asking them not to climb on the flowers planted on the road at that time, saying that breaking the plant would not send a good message. After tearing Oli's picture, the crowd raised both hands and celebrated. 

10:57 am, slogans against the Prime Minister and ministers

After moving forward from the arch bridge of Bijuli Bazaar, slogans against the then Prime Minister Oli began to be raised. Slogans were also raised against the then Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and Communications Minister Prithvi Subba Gurung. Slogans related to the Nepo Babies campaign, which was launched to protest the luxurious lifestyle of the leader's children, were also heard. Some tried to stop the crowd by making a line with their hands, saying, 'Let's not go any further than this.' But the larger group moved forward. 

While the crowd was in the Bijuli Bazaar area, some youths rode dirt bikes from the middle. Some of the youths on those bikes were even carrying black flags. Since they were in favor of the movement, there was no stopping them from riding their bikes like that.

11:06 AM, Police request not to move forward near Everest Hotel

The vanguard of the Gen-G protesters reached Everest Hotel, where the restricted area designated by the administration began. Police with helmets and shields tried to stop the crowd. A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) asked the crowd to calm down and not to move forward from there. Some Gen-G leaders tried to stop the crowd by saying, 'This is a slow movement.' However, their voices were faint as they were shouting slogans in a loud voice. 

The DSP broke the restricted area by miking and the police even said that they would use force, but the hand-held mike did not work well. Even those who were nearby had difficulty hearing. 

At that time, a poster with the words 'Wanted' and pictures of Sher Bahadur Deuba, Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal were shown to the crowd. The back of the poster read, 'People's sweat, dinner for the grandchildren of the leader. Hash tag Gen-Z, come save the country.' 

At 11:20 am, the melody of the red and moon and sun was played

The melody of the red and moon and sun was played. Along with this, the slogan 'KP is your money, everyone suffers' began to be chanted. Slowly, the national flag began to be hoisted. Placards reading 'We are Gen-Z, we need a clean leader (We are Gen-Z, we need a clean leader)' were also shown. 

Raksha Bam, who was in the vehicle, showed the Nepalese flag, Bablu Gupta of ‘100 Group’ showed a banner reading ‘No Corruption’, Yujanraj Bhandari raised slogans while standing in the forefront. According to Bhandari, the movement was progressing peacefully. ‘Our aim was not to create unrest,’ he says. Students from Kanya Mandir School were also seen in the crowd. The teachers who came with them on the street told us that they had never participated in any movement before but were now taking to the streets because they were upset by corruption. From the same crowd, a tall young man showed a banner that read, ‘Let the government speak.’

At 11:35 am, the youth broke through the police barricade and moved forward.

The protesters tried to move forward through the barricade set up by the police. There was a placard in the front, ‘Comrade, your revolution, did not get lost in the pocket of your designer suit, where is it???’ At that time, the police were saying something, but the voice could not be heard because the microphone was weak. There was a scuffle between the police and the Zen-G at the barricade. The Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force brought the water fountain close and started throwing it. The youth in front started to disperse. Some youths threw water bottles and pieces of paper at the police. Some protesters were injured when the police used batons. Then the crowd became restless. When there were signs of increasing tension, the Zen-G leaders started to remind the college and school children to return home. By then, some vehicles were plying on Baneshwor Chowk, and within a few moments, they were all diverted. 

Although there was a restricted area around the Parliament building, there was no barricade towards Baneshwor Chowk. The youths coming from Tinkuen crossed Baneshwor Chowk and moved towards the barricade. When the crowd moved forward from both sides, the police, who were insignificant compared to the crowd, could not cope. The barricade collapsed. Then the youths chanted slogans and moved towards Baneshwor Chowk, and the police dispersed. Even the vehicle throwing water fountains moved behind. 

Both security agencies said that about 4,000 Nepal Police and about 1,000 Armed Police personnel were deployed in the field that day. It was clear that the security agencies failed to control the movement by setting up barricades at various levels after failing to accurately assess the number of people participating in the movement and decide on a strategy. 

At 12:00 PM, thousands of Gen-G youth reached Baneshwor's traffic island and chanted slogans

Thousands of Gen-G youth marched towards New Baneshwor. Chanting slogans like 'Youth in the Gulf, Nepokids in the car', Gen-G youth headed towards Baneshwor Chowk with national flags. A crowd of youth climbed the Baneshwor Sky Bridge. The bridge was packed in no time. Two youths reached the middle of the bridge and hung a banner of a Japanese anime with a skull on it, 'The Time is Now, Wake Up Nepal. (This is the time, wake up Nepal.’ 

Within a few minutes, the Gen-Gs reached Baneshwor’s traffic island, where they hoisted a banner with white and red letters on a black banner, raising slogans against the then Prime Minister Oli, ‘Wake up against corruption.’

12:06 PM, Gen-Gs gathered around the Parliament building, shouting slogans

There was no police presence at New Baneshwor Chowk. The Gen-G protesters gathered around the Parliament building. Along with corruption, slogans started being raised against the government around the Parliament building. They started shouting slogans on the streets at Baneshwor Chowk. Most of the people living on the streets were young people. Most of them were in college and school uniforms. 

Some of the youth went to the gate of the Parliament building and started shouting slogans. Some of the youth even tried to climb the building at the Parliament gate. Students from Nepal Law Campus were also seen, shouting slogans saying, “Stop corruption.” By that time, there was also a police presence at the sentry posts around the Parliament building. There was no. 

Some youths entered the post at Baneshwor Chowk and started waving their hands. At that time, tear gas was fired towards the water tank. According to the practice of crowd control, the force should have been increased by lathi-charge and giving information through miking. But the police presence outside the Parliament building was negligible. 

12:30 PM, curfew issued

Excessive tear gas was fired. At that time, the District Administration Office, Kathmandu issued a curfew order around the protest site. However, some protesters did not get information about the administration's order, so the crowd did not decrease. After getting burned in the eyes due to tear gas, the protesters were shouting slogans while splashing water.

12:55 PM, tear gas and aerial fire

Angry youths tried to break down the wall of the Parliament building from Baneshwor to the water tank. Even during the curfew, the youths climbed up to the police sentry's place and started hoisting the Nepali flag. Indiscriminately from inside the Parliament building Tear gas was fired. As the sound of tear gas and aerial fire was heard, slogans were raised against KP Sharma Oli, and even slogans of 'Stop police repression' began to be raised. 

The police were firing tear gas and aerial fire from inside the Parliament building and from the front of the Transport Management Department at Minbhavan. 

1:22 PM, the wall of the Parliament building was vandalized

The youths who were scattered by the tear gas started moving towards the Parliament building again. A placard reading 'We pay, they steal, your worthless children bathe in gold, eat from silver dishes' was seen. The youths started climbing on the roof of the building where the security personnel live at the main gate of the Parliament building for the second time. They made holes in the wall at some places. Some youths even entered from there and entered inside. 

On the one hand, the protesters were not informed about the curfew imposed by the administration. The police microphones were not working, nothing was heard. The police presence outside was almost zero. There was. On the other hand, the STF (Special Task Force) inside the Parliament building started firing indiscriminately from INSAS and SLR. Some youths immediately collapsed, the protesters took them to the nearby Civil Hospital. But the demonstration and firing did not stop. It continued to increase. 

At 2:00 PM, youths collapsed due to police firing

The number of people injured due to police firing started to increase. Ambulance traffic increased, but even though the ambulances arrived, there were few. In a moment, the roads in the New Baneshwor area started to turn bloody. Since there was no ambulance to take an injured youth, he was rescued on a motorcycle. A plume of smoke began to appear in the sky around the Parliament building and the New Baneshwor area. 

The youths were expressing their anger outside the Parliament building gate. As the number of injured people increased, their anger started to increase. The youth was injured in front of the Arabica Cafe on the opposite side of the Parliament building. An ambulance was waiting for him, who was bleeding. थिएन । युवाले बोकेर अस्पतालतर्फ लगे । त्यही बेला अर्का युवा पनि घाइते भए । उनलाई पनि स्ट्रेचरमा हालेर सिभिल अस्पतालतिर लगियो । 

क्षणभरमै सयौ घाइते भए । अधिकांश आन्दोलनकारी संसद् भवन अघिल्तिर ढलेका थिए । आन्दोलनकारीको आक्रोश झन् बढ्यो । पर्खाल नाघेर कतिपय युवा भित्रै छिरे । उनीहरूलाई प्रहरीले नियन्त्रणमा लियो । 

२ : ३० बजे, 'गोली हान्’ भन्दै युवाले छाती थाप्न थाले

सिभिल अस्पतालमा घाइतेको संख्या बढ्न थाल्यो । सडकभरि रगत भएपछि युवाले ‘संसद् भवन खाली गर्’ भन्दै नारा लगाउन थाले । युवामाथि ताकीताकी गोली प्रहार भएको भन्दै उनीहरूले आक्रोश व्यक्त गर्न थाले । गेटमै गएर ‘गोली हान्’ भन्दै युवाले छाती थाप्न थालेपछि प्रहरी केहीबेर हच्किए । तर केहीबेरपछि गोली चल्न सुरु भयो । 

युवाले ब्यारिकेड अगाडि राखेर पछाडि बस्दै गोलीबाट बच्ने प्रयाससमेत गरे । प्रहरीको गोली लागेर एक युवा ब्यारिकेडमै ढले । उनको शरीरमा नेपालको राष्ट्रिय झन्डा ओढाइयो । अर्का अन्दोलनकारीको गोजीमा गोली लाग्यो । उनको पाइन्ट जल्यो । उनले मोबाइल फाले । मोबाइलले गोली छेक्दा उनको शरीर छेडिएनछ । 

घाइतेको संख्या बढ्दै गयो । बानेश्वर चोक आसपास एसएलआर, इन्सासका गोलीका खोका यत्रतत्र थिए । घाइतेलाई नजिकै सिभिल अस्पतालको इमर्जेन्सीमा लगिँदै थियो । सिभिल इमर्जेन्सीमा ठाउँ नभएर कतिपयको बाहिरै ड्रेसिङ भइरहेका थियो । भित्र बेड खाली थिएनन् । अस्पतालले भीड थाम्न सकिरहेको थिएन । बिरामी भेट्न जानेलाई चिकित्सक र अरू स्वास्थ्यकर्मीले हात जोडेर, त कसैलाई चर्को बोलेर उपचारमा अवरोध नगर्न भनिरहेका थिए । चिकित्सकले घाउको प्रकृतिअनुसार अन्य अस्पतालमा रिफर गरिरहेका थिए ।

सेनाको गाडी प्रहरीलाई सहायता गर्न संसद् भवनतर्फ जाँदा एभरेस्ट होटल अघिल्तिर आन्दोलनकारीले जोडेर रोके । 

५ : ०० बजे, आन्दोलनकारी तितरबितर

प्रहरीले आन्दोलनकारीलाई अश्रुग्यास हानेर तितरबितर पार्दै तीनकुने र माइतीघरसम्म पुर्‍याए । प्रहरी बेलुकी ५ बजे माइतीघरसम्मै आयो । त्यसबेला गौशाला, नयाँ बानेश्वर, स्वयम्भूबाट समेत थप प्रहरी आइसकेका थिए ।