Several dozen people held a vigil in Baldwin on Tuesday night to raise awareness of the violence happening in Nepal, where government security forces had shot and killed protesters on Monday.
Baldwin residents Manika Thapa and her friend, Kristina Rai, organized the vigil, which was held in a parking lot on Clairton Boulevard. It was initially planned as a gathering of their friends, but interest spread after they posted about the event on social media and it was shared by the Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh.
“We wanted international people to see what is happening,” Thapa said. “This is for the remembrance of the people and of the youth who lost their lives in the protest.”
In Nepal, members of Gen Z had rallied across the streets of Kathmandu on Monday to protest against political corruption. The protests had been ignited by the government banning 26 social media platforms after criticism of politicians was posted online.
Hundreds of people, primarily younger citizens of Gen Z, marched with posters and chanted that the government needed to listen to their voices and make changes. Government security forces responded with violence.
“Authorities opened fire into crowds of young demonstrators, leaving at least 19 people dead, in some of the most widespread social unrest in the South Asian country in recent years,” The New York Times reported.
Since the protest, Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli has resigned, leaving the country without a leader. Several other government officials have stepped down, and the social media ban has been lifted.
But this was not enough to silence the protest movement, which has continued.
“Outrage has also been growing over economic inequality and what many Nepalese see as the government’s failure to aggressively pursue high-profile corruption cases,” The New York Times reported.
Since then, more chaos has arisen as some protesters began vandalizing and setting fire to government buildings and the properties of politicians.
“Nepali Army soldiers and heavily armed police officers were deployed in the streets of Kathmandu, the country’s capital, encircling groups of protesters and raising fears of another deadly crackdown,” the Times reported.
The protests and crackdown have been followed closely by people of Nepali descent in the Pittsburgh area. Thapa, who helped organize Tuesday night’s vigil, has cousins in Nepal who participated in the protests in Kathmandu. She said her family is safe and nobody she directly knows has been injured.
“My whole family is in Nepal,” Thapa said. “They have been following the protests, and every day I get updates on whatever is happening there.”
Rai hopes to see more people raising awareness for Nepal after this vigil.
“I would say use social media as a tool and tell your story, create awareness, and let the world know what is happening,” Rai said.
Community member Bijay Thapa said the vigil gave him hope.
“I feel gratitude for the community coming together to show support,” Bijay Thapa said.
Many of Baldwin High School’s Nepali students have been following the protests.
“I’m glad Nepalese even outside of Nepal are coming together,” junior Kelcy Bhandari said. “It has shown how we are united as a country and how we can survive the hardships.”
Sophomore Rewash Bhattarai hopes the event will create more awareness of the crisis in Nepal among all Americans.
“After attending the vigil and seeing everyone repost about it, I hope it will catch the attention of more than just the Nepali community,” Bhattarai said.
