Gobinda Prasad Pokharel
On Bhadra 23 and 24, the Gen-Z movement overturned the politics of the country. Its main demands were: an end to growing corruption, halting politicization in public institutions, retirement of the top party leaders, and withdrawal of the decision to ban social media. Because of this anger, 19 youths protesting on the streets lost their lives. After their deaths, the outrage grew even stronger. The next day, the country faced a massive revolt that turned the three major state structures of Nepal into ashes. Altogether, 72 people died in this uprising.
The central administrative headquarter of Nepal Singha Durbar, the Federal Parliament building and the symbol of judicial supremacy, Supreme Court were burned during the protests. The main building of the President’s Office at Sheetal Niwas also came under fire. Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli resigned from his post.
The main administrative building of Singha Durbar, which houses the Office of the Prime Minister, was set on fire and destroyed during the course of the GenZ movement.
Former PM Sher Bahadur Deuba and his wife Arzu Rana faced violent attacks at their residence, which was looted and set ablaze by protesters. The private residences of former PMs Pushpa Kamal Dahal, K.P. Oli, Baburam Bhattarai, Jhalanath Khanal and Madhav Kumar Nepal were also not spared. Most leaders’ homes were vandalized, looted and set on fire. Even the homes of former presidents faced attacks.
Brunt Deuba House by the Protesters.
Private and public institutions were not safe. Most police stations in Kathmandu were burned and police offices and municipal buildings across the country were set on fire. Commercial complexes and businesses were destroyed. The international five-star Hilton Hotel was completely burned down. Businesses and private houses of large traders were looted and torched. The headquarter of Kantipur Media Group in Thapathali and Kantipur Television’s office in Tinkune were set on fire. Most car showrooms in Thapathali were burned. Structures and warehouses of Bhatbhateni and CG Group were also set ablaze. Prisons across the country were broken and prisoners escaped.
Kantipur Media Group Building after fire
This destruction may have exceeded even the Maoist 10-year armed conflict and the 2015 earthquake. Exact details of losses have not yet arrived. But after many young people were killed, the resulting rage destroyed the nation’s three power structures.
On Bhadra 27, President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as Prime Minister making her Nepal’s first woman PM. On her recommendation, Parliament was dissolved and elections were set for Falgun 21. The country is now moving forward with new hope. But the debate concerns the reconstruction of destroyed structures. Should the burned state buildings be rebuilt, or should the ruins be preserved as historical memorials ?
The main building of Federal Parliament of Nepal was set on fire and destroyed during the course of the GenZ movement.
Nepal has seen big events before: the 1990 People’s Movement, the 2001 Palace Massacre, the 2006 People’s Movement and the 2015 earthquake. Yet there are very few places where future generations can directly see memories of those events. For example, at Narayanhiti Palace Museum one can see only bullet marks from the palace massacre. The ruins of Dharahara in Sundhara remind us of the 2015 earthquake. But no museums preserve the 1990 movement, the 2006 movement or other decisive events. The Republic Memorial at Narayanhiti exists but no other memories are connected to it.
The Supreme Court building engulfed in flames as protestors set fire during Tuesday’s violent demonstrations in Kathmandu. Photo: Setopati
During the Gen-Z movement, the burning of Parliament, Singha Durbar and the Supreme Court destroyed important documents. What remains are the ruins of those buildings. Now the question is whether to demolish and reconstruct these buildings or preserve the ruins as museums for future Alpha, Beta, and Gamma generations. This debate is necessary.
The structures burned in the Gen-Z movement could be turned into museums to symbolize youth outrage against corruption and politicization in every government institutions. The burned ruins and etched writings show the anger of the youth. This is perhaps the first time in the 21st century that the anger of youth destroyed all three state powers to ashes. Even in wars, rarely have all three major state structures been destroyed like this.
Many countries in the world have converted such destructive events into memorial sites or museums. At the beginning of this century, the terrorist group Al-Qaeda destroyed the Twin Towers in the September 11, 2001 attack in the USA. At that site now stands the 9/11 Memorial Museum which preserves the memory of nearly 3,000 victims and reflects the wounds of terror. That museum documents every aspect of the event and preserves some ruins.
New Cabinet ministers taking oath in the President office. Photo: RSS
In World War II, the remains of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by America are still preserved. Museums in Hiroshima and Nagasaki now stand there carrying a message of world peace. In 2024, the Japanese atomic bomb survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo received the Nobel Peace Prize.
In Germany, to show the remnants of Hitler’s Nazi rule, the ‘Topography of Terror’ museum was established. Similarly, parts of the Berlin Wall ruins are preserved as a memorial. These examples show that destruction should not only be erased, but also remembered. Visible memorials of history help future generations avoid repeating mistakes.
But in Nepal, only history linked with monarchy is preserved in museums. Recent big events have not been memorialized for direct public viewing. The new generation now carries the responsibility of building a new Nepal by reflecting on ruins. Singha Durbar has faced repeated arson and earthquake damage; now it was burned in the Gen-Z movement. Should it be rebuilt, or turned into a museum while constructing a new Singha Durbar beside it ?
The Banner Image of My artilce published in Onlinekhabar
New buildings for the House of Representatives and Supreme Court are already nearing completion. The remaining ruins could still be developed into a museum. If reconstruction is done, it should not be donor-driven but rather built with public participation to create ownership.
Historic buildings in Nepal lack citizen presence. There is a need to cultivate habits of teaching, touring and studying these places. Many Nepalis traveling abroad visit administrative buildings, parliaments and residences of heads of state as tourists. If in Nepal too, historical structures and offices were opened for public tours, future generations would not make statements like ‘I will burn down that office.’
Therefore, since the Gen-Z movement has turned the three major state structures into ashes, the debate must begin: should we preserve the ruins as a memorial museum or demolish and rebuild the old structures?
This article was published in Onlinekhabar on 31st Bhadra of 2081 BS link : जेनजी आन्दोलनका भग्नावशेष भत्काउने कि स्मृति संग्रहालय बनाउने ?
