A police officer working at the Valley Traffic Police Office still shudders when she remembers Bhadra 24. In her opinion, protesters should not vent their anger at traffic, which is a bit different from daily 'policing'. They are not armed security personnel, and they had no role in the shooting the previous day. However, the office was vandalized and set on fire, destroying important documents including the licenses and blue books of service recipients.

The police, who always protect others, became unsafe that day. ‘I never imagined that I would have to fight for my own survival,’ she says, ‘Can we imagine a society without police?’

Senior police officers say that those who vandalized and set fire to the office were not protesters but infiltrators from vested interests. The lower-ranking police, who are considered the backbone of the organization, are still horrified when they remember what they went through that day. 

They say that their commitment to standing on the streets and providing service as always has not diminished. ‘Even the traffic lights were burnt out, there were no islands left,’ says the policeman, ‘but at times like these, the people need us even more.’

The protesters attacked the police, made them take off their uniforms, vandalized and looted the police posts. Police Assistant Inspector Milan Rai, Police Constable Uttam Thapa, and Assistant Corporal Amrit Gurung of Police Division Koteshwor were beaten to death by the protesters. Police structures and vehicles across the country were destroyed. But amid the destroyed buildings and looted materials, the police service is returning to its previous state. 

Hari Khatiwada, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Police Circle, New Baneshwor, says that such incidents should be taken as normal after taking up the police job. ‘We are also like common people, we suffer and fear. However, we cannot stop serving the citizens just because we have our own problems,’ he says, ‘We should not forget our religion of serving with a smile in any situation. It is not the character of the police that we cannot serve. This is how the police service is.’ He says that since the police are on the frontline, they should have a mindset that can tolerate the anger of the citizens. 

According to psychologist Kapil Sharma, special attention should be paid to the psychological balance of the police in such a situation. ‘At such times, psychological and social facilitation is necessary,’ Sharma said, ‘Emotional wounds are suppressed due to the culture within the police that one should obey whatever the commander says. But it is essential to understand their feelings by forming a facilitation group and conducting a consultation program.' 

Police officers have described the situation that emerged after the Gen-G movement as more complicated than the 10-year armed conflict. 'At that time, it was not possible to abandon weapons and run away, but now we have to leave that too,' says a police officer. 'There is deep pain among police personnel.'

Former AIG of Nepal Police Uttam Subedi says that the police should move forward, forgetting the bad aspects and remembering only the issues of duty. 'The police should be happy by providing happiness and justice to the people, in the current situation, the main responsibility is to encourage the state police and immediately arrange the looted materials,' he says. 'The state should immediately provide physical infrastructure, weapons and necessary materials. To boost the morale of the police, attention should also be paid to service facilities.' Subedi says that the state should pay attention to the problems of the police since yesterday, as well as their food and lodging facilities, in the current special situation.

The Nepal Police also concludes that the security situation in the country has reached a difficult point after the destruction of 24 Bhadra. An internal report prepared by the police concluded that the destruction after the demonstration has left the security personnel in a state of 'mentally deranged' and 'demoralized'. 

14,043 prisoners escaped from 26 prisons and jails in the violence, and more than 5,000 are still at large. 197 police structures were completely damaged and 258 were partially damaged due to vandalism and arson. 1,315 rounds of rubber bullets, 2,220 blank rounds, and 3,223 tear gas canisters were not found in the records. 

Vehicles used in daily work by the police and communication sets/equipment purchased at a large cost have also been looted and set on fire. According to police reports, 525 police vehicles have been looted and set on fire. 

In terms of communication sets, 1 HF set, 64 mobile sets, 451 handheld sets, 1 repeater set, 47 base sets, 1,053 chargers, 2,353 batteries, 25 handheld metal detectors, 15 walk-through gates, 3 X-ray baggage scanners, 117 CCTV monitors, 105 CCTVs (VMS/NVR/DVR), and 1,355 CCTVs have been looted, vandalized, and set on fire. 

The police are celebrating Police Day on Friday. Although it was celebrated with joy in the past, this time the day is being celebrated as a tribute meeting. This time, the police have set the slogan, 'Citizen-Police Cooperation, Indispensable for Security'.