The television visuals from Kathmandu show you a story of a government destroyed by the chaotic violence of citizens. Their uncontrolled anger burned down every visible vestige of power.
The news anchors tell us a different tale: A ‘deep state toolkit’ has engineered the “coup” (Republic TV). ‘Colombo, Dhaka, Kathmandu’, ‘A Desperate Playbook’, the channel added.
Or, “a conspiracy of sorts all around India … to weaken India’s periphery” (CNN News-18) is why ‘Nepal burns’ (India Today).
Alternatively, is this “an effort to deliberately stoke such violence in the region…in India as well?’’ (NDTV 24×7).
On CNN News-18, Khusbu Oli of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) in Nepal claimed that the country’s government had “infiltrators” in the protests.
TV9 Bharatvarsh, the 24×7 expert channel on international conflicts, suggests the “faceless demonstrations” in different parts of Nepal are part of a “game plan” of other powers after similar “takhtapalat” (a colorful Hindi word for a coup) in Sri Lanka (2022) and Bangladesh (2024).
In other words, the dreaded old enemy of India, ‘the foreign hand’, is meddling in the internal affairs of our neighbours.
It’s ‘China v/s America’ announced TV9 as we watched young men and women set the parliament building on fire, drag and “thrash” Nepal’s former finance minister on the street, and gaze in horror at the burnt body of a former prime minister(News Nine).
Times Now put another spin on it: Anchor Navika Kumar, saw “self-declared saviours of democracy in India, who wistfully think— ‘India next’?’’
And guess who those “saviours” are? India’s Opposition parties, of course.
Channels like Times Now, based this theory on quotes by members of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), and Aam Aadmi party who happily spoke on camera to warn their fellow countrymen that happened in Sril Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal could happen in India too—if little fires of frustration and distress among the people, blew up in our faces.
“Is this what they want?’’ asked Navika Kumar (Times Now).
Gen Z vs govt
‘The Gen Z revolution’ came out of nowhere—or so it appeared to us. One minute we were watching floods across the country (Aaj Tak), India Today’s Southern Conclave, vote chori in Bihar (News 18 India), an attack on a Ganesha procession in Karnataka (Times Now), when suddenly TV news channels switched to Nepal protests.
By a curious coincidence, all major news channels in Hindi and in English simultaneously began to telecast footage from the streets of Kathmandu, where thousands of people could be seen destroying public and private property to war cries and howls of protest.
‘Gen Z v/s Govt’ (NDTV 24X7) remained on the screen for two days—not sure about the source of the telecast from Kathmandu since no credit was given.
But we saw much of what unfolded on Monday and Tuesday in the city and in other areas. And what we saw clearly indicated the ferocity of the assault on Kathmandu and those who had been ruling it.
Was this genuine rage or a “toolkit”?
Whatever it was, it looked devastating: The ‘Youth Tsunami’ (News Nine) was like the cloud bursts we have seen during the monsoon: one minute, complete calm, the next—bang.
We heard about deaths and injuries inflicted on protestors by the armed security forces, and we listened to the rage on the road. We watched as silent witnesses.
All news channels carried the same videos of what News 24 called ‘The Burning Nepal’—building after building going up in giant clouds of smoke, raging balls of fire swallowing parliament, the Hilton Hotel, ministers’ homes. Streets of people led into other crowded roads— “very dramatic visuals”, said NDTV’s reporter, once he stepped away from the processions.
Also read: Biting terror, doggone dilemma, urban menace. Indian TV war over Delhi street dogs
Three revolutions, one plan
Indian news channels rushed reporters to Kathmandu as fast as they could. We saw them prowling the charred buildings (ABP News), walking-talking with protestors who yelled back into the microphones that the corrupt government had to go.
Hastily, news channels found more former ambassadors—never have ex-diplomats been in such demand as they are nowadays. Deepak Vohra, for one, appears across channels as an expert on every conflict.
Local journalists and politicians were discovered and put on air immediately. They told us the same thing: misgovernance, corruption and nepotism, lack of employment, and Nepal’s youth were responsible for the “student revolution” (India Today)—more than the banning of 26 social media platforms, which was the immediate trigger for the unrest.
By Monday evening and into Tuesday, news channels had connected the dots between Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. ‘Chaos, conspiracy and then Coup’ announced Times Now. ‘3 years, 3 revolutions, One plan’, concluded NDTV 24×7.
‘More than what meets the eye,’ said CNN News-18. “US wants a presence (in the region) …’’ said an anchor on Republic TV. So, ‘China Pyaara Oli’ had to go, added NDTV India.
Which left everyone with one question: “What next in Nepal?’’ (DD News). Nobody had an answer.
The author tweets @shailajabajpai. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)