Lower Thirds: 

Report by  Adil Bhat
Mausam Kulung | Gen Z Protester
Mausam Kulung | Gen Z Protester
Sanjay Podul | Gen Z Protester

((info: Families of protesters killed by police in Nepal are gathering to demand justice and answers about their missing loved ones. Thousands of young people are still being treated for gunshot wounds and other injuries after security forces opened fire on crowds in the capital city Kathmandu. With the appointment of interim Prime Minister Susheela Karki, calls for accountability are growing louder. Families have been holding candlelight vigils outside a hospital morgue, and say they will press the new leader to act. DW’s Adil Bhat met grieving families and the injured, who are demanding justice and accountability from the authorities.))

Script: 

00:02- 00:16

Mausam and his sister Bhavana are grieving the loss of their brother, Praveen.

The 21-year-old student was killed last Monday, on the first day of protests.

Mausam, who was also on the streets, is struggling to grasp his death.

Mausam Kulung , Gen Z Protester brother

SOT ( Hindi) 00:16- 00:31

“I felt helpless when my brother was shot.. I froze when the police fired directly at him. I went mad when I saw it happen right in front of my eyes.”

00:32- 00:53

Praveen had left his village for Kathmandu to study Korean.

Like thousands of young Nepalis struggling with mass- unemployment, he dreamed of working in South Korea to support his family.

Mausam says his brother joined the protests to stand up against a system that stole the future of many like Praveen.

Mausam Kulung, Gen Z Protester Brother

SOT ( Hindi) 00:54-1:06

8;00 “When I gave my father the news of his death, he cried. I told him, don’t think my brother is dead, remember he sacrificed his life for the nation and its transformation” 8:11

1:08- 1:16

The siblings take a moment to remember their late brother

1:16- 1:28

The protests began after the government banned much social media, but- they soon grew into a movement against corruption, nepotism, and inequality.

1:30- 1;42

The state’s response was swift and brutal: first tear gas, then water cannon, and finally, live bullets. More than 50 people were killed. And thousands wounded.

1:45- 1:57

Sanjay was one of the injured.. Rubber bullets hit him and broke both his legs.

He says anger at the government drove him onto the streets.

Sanjay Podul,

SOT (Nepalese) 1:58- 2:18

“There is growing poverty, corruption and unemployment are extreme. Even my two brothers are abroad. So to end that chaos … I joined the protest … to end that corruption, to abolish that corruption.”

2:20- 2:28

Sanjay says the uprising was necessary in a country -so rife with graft. He is willing to live with the consequences.

2:29-2:34

On the streets of Kathmandu, anger over the killings of civilians is still palpable.

2;36- 2;51

Vox (English) This is really horrible. I feel sad and upset that the state has used bullets against their own citizens like against young people. The protest started peacefully but later it got violent

2:51- 3:02

Vox 2: (Hindi) If the young people had not lost their lives on the first day,, this situation would not have happened. It would have been good. There would not have been so many injuries.

3:05- 3:14

Outside the hospital, Mausam and Bhavana join other grieving families. They want accountability, and the return of their loved ones’ bodies.

3;15- 3:25

With an interim prime minister now in place, and the promise of fresh elections within six months, young Nepalis hope their voices will finally be heard.