Families of Gen Z Movement martyrs await justice, support

BY SIRAJ KHAN / JANARJAN KHATRI, Nepalgunj / Sarlahi, Nov. 7: Nearly two months after the Gen Z movement of September 8 and 9, the families of three young men killed by police gunfire during the protests continue to live in grief and neglect. While the government has provided monetary compensation, families say they have received little attention, justice, or genuine support from officials.

In Nepalgunj, the families of 19-year-old Ayush Thapa and 23-year-old Sulav Shrestha, both residents of Dhamboji in Ward No. 1, said that not a single minister or senior government official visited them since their sons’ deaths. Ayush and Sulav were both shot dead in Kathmandu during the demonstrations.

Ayush’s parents, Sushil and Poonam Thapa, said they were deeply hurt that even during Dashain and Tihar, when Prime Minister Sushila Karki personally visited the families of the martyrs and injured in Kathmandu, no official, not even the Chief District Officer, came to their home in Nepalgunj. 

“We have lost our son, but we pray no other youth lose their life in vain. Let good governance prevail, and let corruption end for good,” said Poonam Thapa. The family also urged the government to ensure one job for each martyr’s family.

Sushil Thapa said that although senior army officers and local representatives met them briefly, the high-level probe commission that visited Nepalgunj ignored them. He added that while the declared relief funds were delivered promptly, other promised government actions had yet to materialize.

The family of Sulav, meanwhile, remains in deep distress. Sulav’s father, Narendra, is ill, and his mother’s mental health has deteriorated since the tragedy. His uncle, Rajan Shrestha, said the family has been living in unbearable pain and criticised the government for delaying justice and failing to meet the movement’s demands. 

Former Deputy Mayor of Nepalgunj Sub-Metropolitan City, Uma Thapa Magar, also accused the government of neglecting the martyr families, stating it had only sent money but offered no real support.

Sulav had recently graduated from Kathmandu Engineering College and was preparing to pursue a Master’s degree, while Ayush was scheduled to fly to France on a student visa on September 12, just days after the protests.  Instead, his body was brought home in a coffin.

In Sarlahi, another family shattered by the movement is that of 27-year-old Dev Kumar Subedi, who was killed by police bullets in Kalimati, Kathmandu, on September 9. His elderly parents, 85-year-old Ujir Bahadur Subedi and 67-year-old Yashoda Kumari Subedi of Lalbandi Municipality-5, now live alone in their village.

Dev’s parents had depended entirely on their youngest son for support. Having already divided their property among their other sons, they are now left without anyone to care for them. “My youngest son looked after us and treated me when I was sick. Now he is gone. What fault did he have that he had to be shot dead? There is no one left to care for us,” said Ujir.

After Dev’s death, his wife Parbati and daughter Saloni moved to Kathmandu. The District Administration Office, Sarlahi, had provided Rs. 1.5 million in relief to the family, as per the government’s decision. Still, Yashoda said the pain remained unbearable. “He had promised to come home in January to repair the roof and complete the house,” she said.

Before his death, Dev worked as a security guard at the Kalimati Vegetable Market and had recently started a small vegetable business to support his family. His aging parents now survive on Ujir’s old-age allowance and the rent from a small plot of land in Dudhauli, Sindhuli.

From Nepalgunj to Sarlahi, the stories of the families of Ayush, Sulav, and Dev reveal a shared pain and growing frustration. Though hailed as martyrs of the Gen Z movement, their families said that beyond compensation, the government had failed to deliver justice, accountability, or lasting support.