Geeta Sah, 48, was writhing in pain in the plastic surgery ward of Kathmandu Medical College in Sinamangal. A month and a half has passed since she was brought to the hospital, and although the wound is healing, the trauma of the incident has not stopped affecting her.

On the second day of the Gen-G movement, on 24 Bhadra, she went out to the square to watch the demonstration with the shutters on her shop in Koteshwor. Initially, the situation was normal. But the gradually escalating situation led to a tragic accident. The protesters were beating the police to death. She went forward to save the police and requested the protesters. But the acid thrown by the protesters hit her body. Geeta's right hand, leg and stomach were burned.

 Even now, Geeta feels shocked when she remembers that moment. 'I had gone out to watch the demonstration at the police post. Three or four policemen were on top of the post. The others had already fled,' she recalls. 'The police fired two rounds to avoid the protesters, then the protesters set the post on fire. The fire started by the protesters started spreading upwards. The police were trying to escape from the barricade. The protesters reached the roof, beat them and dragged them to the street.’

She was desperate to see the policemen who were beaten to death. She requested the protesters, ‘Fathers, please don’t beat them anymore. Let them go. The policeman, probably thinking that he would survive, grabbed my leg and said, ‘Mother, save me.’ She describes the incident, ‘A protester shouted at me, ‘Auntie, you should get out of here.’ Geeta pleaded again, ‘Let me go, father, now.’ 

The protester said, ‘You didn’t feel love when you killed someone else’s son, but you felt love when you killed him?’ Geeta added, ‘Everyone’s life is the same, right?’ Meanwhile, the acid thrown by the protestors hit Geeta’s body. Her right hand started burning. She took off her clothes in despair. At that time, the policeman was still holding Geeta’s leg and urging her to save him. However, by that time, Geeta’s life was in danger. Geeta's body was burning, burning her legs and stomach. At that moment, her son's friend arrived on a scooter. He took Geeta to Kantipur Hospital. After seeing the risk of fire there, he was taken to KMC Hospital. She was initially kept in the ICU for two weeks. 

Geeta's 26-year-old son Rahul recalls that day, 'I was also in the protest in Baneshwor. Mummy had told me not to go to the protest. Later, she called and kept telling me to come quickly. After some time, Daddy called and said that Mummy's legs were on fire. Later, when I saw Mummy's condition in the hospital, I couldn't handle it.' 

Geeta had already been traumatized by fire. She used to ask her son to open and close the gas regulator while cooking. 'It was very difficult when there was a fire now. At first, he was fighting alone. Gradually, it decreased,' says Rahul. 

Rahul feels worried from time to time while staying in the hospital. ‘This has happened to my mother, who always takes care of us. It must be difficult,’ he says. Rahul is very angry with the person who put his mother in this situation. ‘I am also telling the police. The person who threw acid must be arrested at any cost,’ Rahul says with pained love. 

Kamal Ghimire, 27, of Kavre Bethanchowk, who is undergoing treatment at the KMC HCU ward, has not been able to recover even after all these days. Only on Sunday, he had revealed something to his uncle Prannath Ghimire about the moment when the incident occurred during the protest, ‘I was shooting a video. That scene must be in the video too. Suddenly, I was shot.’ 

Kamal had a cow farm in Radheradhe, Bhaktapur. On the morning of the 23rd, he went to the dairy and did not return to the farm. He went straight to the protest. A bullet pierced his left thigh during the protest. The bullet also damaged his lung. ‘After all these days, he spoke something yesterday, but today he is not able to speak again,’ sounds worried uncle Prannath. Kamal was the pillar of the house. After he fell down after being injured, his father and mother are hugging him. ‘My brother and sister-in-law fainted when they came to the hospital. That is why I have been living in Kuruwa since the first day,’ he says. 

Uncle Prannath complains that no one has come from the government even after all these days. ‘Sushila Karki, who became the Prime Minister on the blood of our sons, has gone to another place. But she has not come here to console us,’ he complains, ‘and so far the government has not arrested those who opened fire during the protest. What is stopping us?’

Ravi Bhandari, 29, who is undergoing treatment at B&B Hospital in Satdobato, Lalitpur, was referred from KMAC Hospital. He is currently worried about the deteriorating situation at home. Ravi’s house was in Sindhuli, Tikathali. Five years ago, after returning from a foreign employment in Qatar, he had been running a pathao. He used that money to pay off his house loan and teach his brother. But after he was shot during the Gen-G movement, he is becoming distraught. 

He did not join the movement on 23 Bhadra. Instead, his brother had gone. His brother, who had gone to the movement with his friend, returned home after losing his friend. With that anger, Ravi joined the movement the next day. ‘We were in Maharajgunj. Another group was burning a police post from Gongbu. I was also moving forward with others. I was shot in the ankle in front of Bhatbhateni,’ he recalls. Ravi says that the government formed by the Gen-G movement should now not only treat the injured, but also guarantee employment. 

Sarita Rana, the sister of Bikram Lamkaha, who is undergoing treatment at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, prays every day for his brother’s recovery. Bikram was shot in Jawalakhel at 7 pm during the protest on 24 Bhadra. ‘He was shot in the right leg. This is the seventh time that plastic surgery is being performed. I am very worried about my mother and brother at home,' says Sarita. Vikram was a cook at the hotel. 'What if my brother, who is taking care of everything at home, can no longer work?' Sarita becomes sad remembering. 

Sanjay Ghising, 23, who is being treated at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, has been shot in the right hand. He was also shot in Jawalakhel. 'I was told not to go to the protest on 24 Bhadau. He went. At first, my friend was shot, he was running away with it. Later, he got it,' says Sanjay's mother, 'I still have to do the operation. I don't know how many days it will take.'

Bhak Bahadur Nepali, 18, is being treated in the ICU at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital. He was referred from Pokhara a few days ago with a gunshot wound to the head. Prakash Bohara and Liza Adhikari are being treated in the HCU ward of the Trauma Hospital. The iconic shoe that became a symbol of the protest was lost during the protest. That shoe belonged to Prakash. Prakash is now happy that a well-wisher bought him another pair of shoes. ‘I lost those shoes during the movement. A well-wisher bought me a pair of shoes out of love,’ says Prakash. 

The injured in the movement are slowly being discharged. Prakash doesn’t know how many more days he will have to stay. ‘They say he still has one operation left. It hurts sometimes,’ says Prakash. While he is in the hospital, he is saddened to hear that fake documents are being made in Prakash’s name outside. ‘We are suffering every day here. They are selling my name outside,’ he laments. 

Liza, who was shifted to the same ward, was sleeping when we reached her. Liza is a fourth-year BBA passout. She took to the streets on 23 Bhadra, following the students’ voices. Her mother called her home at 2 pm. She was eager to return home. ‘At that time, I was talking to my sister who was wearing a helmet in front, and while talking, I got shot,’ she recalled the horrific scene she experienced in a conversation a few weeks ago. The bullet had pierced her thigh. 

Another injured person in the Gen-G movement, Mukesh Awasthi, 22, from Dadeldhura, is also undergoing treatment at the trauma hospital. He lost his leg after being shot below the knee during the movement. Mukesh was recently working as a sub-engineer at the Parliament House. He was also preparing to go to Australia. ‘Now this is the situation, there is no way to go,’ Mukesh had said a few weeks ago, looking at his own amputated leg.

Abhishek Shrestha, 22, from Sindhupalchowk, is also still undergoing treatment at the trauma hospital. He was shot below the knee of his right leg. ‘The flesh of his thigh has been removed and placed below the place where the bullet was,’ says Abhishek, showing the wound. Despite doctors' requests not to go, he went to the discussions of the Gen-G activists and the talks with the Prime Minister and the President. 'Because our voice should be heard there. The voice of the martyrs' families should be heard too. My participation could have meaning there,' he says. While going like that, his leg got infected.

Despite his parents' requests not to go, Abhishek took to the streets. He did not know the word Gen-G until three days before the protest. 'I understood the meaning of the word only 2 days ago. He came out saying that it was our movement and we should go. He was shot,' he says.