We will find peace only when nation changes: Gen-Z movement widow

By Phadindra Adhikari,Lekthnath, Nov. 8: Cradling her two-year-old son, Kanti Gurung often finds herself staring into emptiness. She ponders how to raise the child, providing both a mother’s tenderness and a father’s care. She makes plans, yet her heart has never ceased to ache.

Since losing her husband, Amrit Gurung, during Gen-Z Movement, her life has never returned to its former rhythm. Nor, does she feel presence of the nation. Amrit, a police officer, was beaten to death while on duty in Koteshwor, Kathmandu, on September 9. 

Images circulating on social media, showing the brutal killing of protesters, continue to haunt her. Although she takes pride in her husband’s sacrifice, she longs to see that sacrifice bear meaning. The government has declared Gurung and 44 others killed during the Gen-Z movement as martyrs.

“We must get justice. Surely the perpetrators will face punishment,” Kanti said. “The government may have declared him a martyr and moved on, but who understands what the family is enduring?”

For Kanti, movements such as this erupt because the dreams of past martyrs and the expectations of the people remain unfulfilled. Determined to transform grief into strength, she strives to move forward.

“My husband gave his life for society and duty,” she said. “I am proud of him, and I hope the day comes soon when the nation, too, feels that pride.”

An Assistant Sub-Inspector of Nepal Police, Gurung was deployed at Koteshwor Police Post on September 9, when protesters overran the post and set it ablaze. That day marked the final severing of contact with his family. The next morning, Amrit’s colleagues broke the news of his martyrdom to Kanti.

A resident of Rupa Rural Municipality-5 in Kaski, Gurung was severely beaten before being rushed to hospital at around 2: 00 pm, where doctors pronounced him dead at 4:00 pm. The 31-year-old man was in the Nepal Police for 12 years. His mother had died of a brain haemorrhage only 10 months earlier. Married to Kanti Gurung in 2020, Amrit is now listed among the nation’s official martyrs, a title his widow insists must not be only symbolic but meaningful.

The government has deposited Rs. 1.5 million into Kanti’s account as assistance to the martyr’s family. Yet she remains troubled, believing the country has yet to find a genuine path forward.

“I’ve lost everything,” she said quietly. “I’ve soothed my heart and mind with that. But if the nation still doesn’t change, my heart will break again. And who will mend it then?”