The INSEC Bagmati Province Office conducted an on-site monitoring on 15 and 17 September of the incidents of vandalism and arson that occurred in Makwanpur during the Gen-Z protest. The monitoring assessed the damage caused by protesters to the Province Police Office, National Human Rights Commission, District Administration Office, District Court, Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City, High Court of Patan, Hetauda Bench, Madan Bhandari Institute of Health Sciences and Hetauda Hospital, Drinking Water and Sanitation Division, Division Forest Office, Ministry of Forests and Environment, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, and the Ministries of Industry, Commerce, Land, and Administration.
During the monitoring, Chief Deputy Inspector General of Police Arun Paudel of the Province Police Office stated that, as of 16 September, a total of 66 people were injured in Bagmati Province outside the Kathmandu Valley, including 22 police officers, 24 civilians, and 20 prisoners. He also reported that seven people lost their lives, comprising two civilians and five prisoners.
He informed the monitoring team that, in Bagmati Province outside the Kathmandu Valley, the Nepal Police have not fired any shots at civilians to date. He also stated that the short-term reconstruction of the damaged police offices has begun and police personnel are gradually returning to these offices.
Similarly, Chief Undersecretary Chandrakant Chapagain of the National Human Rights Commission, Hetauda, stated that Chitwan and Makwanpur suffered the most damage during the protest. He reported that on the night of 9 September, arson and vandalism occurred at the District Court and the Employees’ Provident Fund. While noting that the office of the National Human Rights Commission in Hetauda sustained only minor damage, he emphasized that human rights in Bagmati Province remain at significant risk until the escaped prisoners are returned from prison and those responsible for damaging state property are brought under legal accountability.
Chief District Officer Skim Shrestha of the District Administration Office, Makwanpur, stated that the collection of details regarding the damages within the district is ongoing and that the information will be made public as soon as possible. Administration Officer Gunaraj Prasad Neupane of the same office added that the District Administration Office itself did not sustain any damage, that information has been requested from the affected sites, and that services provided by the office are continuing as usual.
According to Keshav Kaushik, Information Officer of the District Court, protesters set fire to three four-wheeled and 46 two-wheeled vehicles at the District Court on 9 September, causing significant damage.
He reported that within the court premises, the judges’ residences, chambers, toilets, lifts, furniture, and other permanent assets were damaged. Additionally, the registrar’s office, civil supervision (information office), record dispatch, and civil registration branches were completely destroyed by fire, and several government properties were looted.
Due to the arson and vandalism carried out by protesters at the Office of the Chief Government Attorney and the District Government Attorney’s Office, two rooms and three vehicles (one four-wheeled and two two-wheeled) at the District Government Attorney’s Office were completely destroyed. At the Office of the Chief Government Attorney, one room and two vehicles (one four-wheeled and one two-wheeled) were fully damaged. A total of three private two-wheeled vehicles and two government two-wheeled vehicles at the Chief and District Government Attorney’s Offices were completely destroyed. According to light vehicle driver Dhubra Bahadur Maji, protesters looted his bicycle, wallet containing Rs 15,000 and various documents, clothing, and other personal belongings.
Protesters damaged one four-wheeled vehicle and one scooter at the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers. They also vandalized and set fire to the residence of the Chief Secretary of Bagmati Province, the Survey Office, the Office of the Controller of Accounts, the Public Service Commission building, and several vehicles. At the Ministry of Urban Development, two four-wheeled vehicles and two two-wheeled vehicles were completely destroyed, and the ministry building also suffered vandalism and fire damage.
At the Ministry of Forests and Environment, three four-wheeled vehicles, one two-wheeled vehicle, and the ministry building sustained minor vandalism. According to security guard Binod Timilsina of the Ministry of Finance and Planning, during the vandalism and arson, eight computers, two motorcycles, one scooter, two glass tables, three chairs, and several windows at the secretariat were damaged. Similarly, according to office assistant Chet Bahadur Thapa Magar of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Division No. 1, protesters vandalized one four-wheeled vehicle, three glass windows, and the main gate of the office.
Protesters vandalized the CCTV cameras, guardroom, and three four-wheeled vehicles at the Division Forest Office, and one scooter was completely destroyed by fire, according to light vehicle driver Rajesh Sapkota.
According to Ward Chairperson Bishnu Gopal Maharjan of Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City-2, protesters vandalized and set fire to the offices of Wards 3, 4, 11, and 19, while Wards 1, 5, 10, 15, and 18 also sustained vandalism. According to Chief Officer Chandradip Chaudhary of the Hetauda Bench of the Patan High Court, protesters vandalized and set fire to two four-wheeled vehicles, four two-wheeled vehicles, and the office building.
Surendra Badu, administrator of the Madan Bhandari Institute of Health Sciences and Hetauda Hospital, stated that 20 injured individuals had been brought to the hospital for treatment, all of whom have since been discharged. He noted that all the injured were male.
Similarly, Hetauda Sub-Metropolitan City suffered extensive damage, and cleaning and repair work is currently underway. Protesters also vandalized and set fire to the offices of the CPN-UML and Nepali Congress, while the Bhatbhateni Supermarket was completely destroyed. During the protest, the Land Revenue Office was vandalized and set on fire, and the Chief Minister’s residence also sustained minor damage.
Protesters also vandalized and set fire to the private residences of political leaders, including Chief Minister and Nepali Congress leader Indra Baniya, former Chief Minister and CPN-UML leader Dor Mani Paudel, CPN Unified Socialist leader Birodh Khatriwada, and other public representatives.
During the monitoring, it was also observed that top leaders and public representatives of the Bagmati Province government, including the Chief Minister, were out of contact. The monitoring further confirmed that the offices of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Land, and Administration, and the District Administration Office did not sustain any damage.
The monitoring team included Bagmati Province Coordinator Shiv Prasad Khakurel, Assistant Documentation Officer Barun Basnyal, and Prakash Khatiwada, Chairperson of the Hetauda Child Welfare Committee and member of the Provincial Child Rights Committee.
