Nepal's Gen Z takes up brooms, cleaning streets after violent protests

In the wake of violent protests, young people—students, activists and community volunteers— have mobilised to clean up the damage.

In a powerful display of civic responsibility, Nepal’s Gen Z has swapped riot gear for broomsticks.

Avash Regmi, 25, a freelance photographer who participated in the Gen Z protests in Nepal, stands next to a burnt car as he takes part in a cleaning campaign in Kathmandu. (Reuters)

In the wake of violent protests that left the Parliament building scarred and the city in disarray, young people—students, community volunteers and activists—mobilised to clean up the damage.

On 10 September, early in the morning, hundreds of youths gathered at the Parliament precinct in Kathmandu, answering the call of local community leaders and student groups on social media. With brooms and shovels, these volunteers set about clearing shattered glass, scraping charred wood, hauling away burnt furniture, and sweeping up the debris left behind by the clashes.

The unrest began as protests against government corruption and simmering generational injustice. Young people, long frustrated by joblessness and social inequality, were further enraged by a controversial ban on popular social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter)—seen as a direct attack on freedom of expression. As crowds took to the streets to protest, things escalated. Tensions flared, buildings caught fire, and clashes with security forces turned deadly. Official counts now put the death toll between 19 and 30, with many more injured.

Witnesses say volunteers worked from dawn, sweeping pavements, loading waste into bags, and restoring what violence had destroyed. Some security forces maintained a presence—not to suppress, but to observe, and in some cases, to assist.

“We are here for the cleanliness drive which is going on all over the streets in Kathmandu city, where protests took place yesterday and the day before,” Govind, a volunteer, told The Logical Indian.

A security chief described the youth-driven cleanup as “inspiring,” essential to the healing process of a city under emotional and physical strain.

To be sure, the work isn’t done: destruction from the protests remains visible, and political tensions continue to simmer. But action instead of anger has, in a way, defied expectations.