Nepal Protests Teach-in: Understanding the Realities on the Ground

On Friday, 12th September 2025, the Nepali student community on campus, in collaboration with War Studies Society, Ashoka University International Student Association (AUISA), and the Ministry of Community Well-being (MCWB), held a teach-in in front of the mess lawns with the intent of informing students about ongoing protests in Nepal. Faculty members attended the event alongside 30-40 students. 

The event started with the lighting of candles around the flag of Nepal to express solidarity towards student protestors in the region. Nepali students then took the floor to explain the events of the protests. After reciting poems and pieces of literature, several students spoke on the open floor. A student first clarified “3 things that the protest was not about”. Firstly, the protests were not because of the social media ban imposed by Nepal in September, even though it coincided with the timeline. Secondly, the protests are not about bringing back the monarchy or forming a Hindu nation. Finally, the protests did not intend to cause the release of around “13,000 prisoners” from jails around Nepal. Instead, the protesters' demands were for “corrupt politicians to resign from their posts.”

The students from Nepal reiterated that credible sources and media houses were spreading misinformation, and a booklet with more reliable sources had been compiled by students of the AUISA, War Society and MCWB. They highlighted sources such as Al Jazeera and Instagram handles such as ‘Ami Nepal’ and ‘GenZ Nepal’ to be accurate. A student also suggested “reading the history of Nepal to see a clear pattern emerging and to know what narratives should be avoided.”

Professor Amit Julka, Assistant Professor of International Relations at Ashoka University, also spoke at the teach-in. Professor Julka emphasised the need to recognise that “countries we think are not major powers have agency of their own, they are not mere pawns in the larger chessboard game.” He cautioned against dismissing events as mere “conspiracy,” noting that such views underestimate “human agency to be spontaneous at times like this.” He stressed the importance of remembering the historical unfolding of events. “Movements sometimes start because of genuine aspiration and anger of people, but there are forces which hijack these movements as they are actors which are more organised [and can hence] lead people astray,” Julka added. 

Speaking on corruption being a “symptom rather than a disease,” he highlighted that corruption is often reduced to single acts such as “a corrupt bureaucrat taking money under the table.” While that exists, he argued, “it is a result of other systemic problems” where the word “corruption” often acts as a placeholder for broader frustrations. 

He concluded by noting that “historically, politically aware societies go through these things to set things right,” expressing hope that the current moment could lead to both stability and reform.

Later on, Nepali students took questions from those present at the teach-in. Responding to how the protests began, one student noted that there remained uncertainty even in Nepal around the details of the protests and the political future of the country: “Nepali people are still uncertain about what happened at the Nepalese Royal Massacre. This time also it is very uncertain. “There are conspiracy theories, but we can’t say for sure. It’s a lot of information for us to process,” the student said. 

Another student from Nepal emphasised that the protest initially began without clear leadership “Why it happened is because the government shot students in uniforms, which was unexpected. Nepal has had protests in the past, but nothing violent has happened to protestors.” “If they had not shot school children perhaps the state would have stayed intact.” According to them, the incident meant that people “woke up and went for revenge.”

A final student question raised the possiblity of donations to support the people of Nepal, which a student hosting the teach-in expressed caution against, as Nepalese protestors were still looking for “certainty” and political clarity before donations could be reliably given. The question of rebuilding destroyed buildings and infrastructure might be brought up later on, the student concluded.

(Edited by Somansh Sarangi and Anamta Husain)