Nepal’s political crisis has now spilled over into an assault on the country’s press. Days of anti-corruption protests – led largely by young demonstrators – have increasingly turned violent, with mobs targeting media houses they accused of shielding the political class.

The most serious attack came on Kantipur Publications in Kathmandu, which publishes Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post. 

Protesters set fire to the company’s headquarters, ignoring repeated appeals from the army to stop. Flames gutted parts of the first, eighth, and ninth floors, destroyed the canteen on the upper floor, and damaged the seventh-floor server room, knocking the publisher’s online portal offline, according to a report by Nepal-based outlet Khabarhub. No casualties were reported, as staff and journalists evacuated before the attack.

Kantipur TV and Radio Kantipur’s studios in Tinkune were also reportedly attacked, as were the offices of Annapurna Post and ThahaKhabar.com.

In a note to readers, The Kathmandu Post said: “Kantipur’s building was attacked today and set on fire. As a result, our servers are down, so we are posting all our reporting and updates on our social media platforms.” 

However, journalists worked through the night to ensure newspapers went to print the following morning. “You can burn the newsroom, you can’t destroy the spirit,” wrote Rest Of World chief editor Anup Kaphle.

This is not the first time Kantipur has been targeted – its offices were stoned during pro-monarchy protests in March. 

The rage has not been confined to newsrooms. Protesters also stormed Singha Durbar, the government complex housing several ministries. A state radio journalist, Yashoda Adhikari, and her colleagues were rescued by the Nepalese Army.

As Himal Southasian reported, this is no longer the Gen Z protestors of the previous day. 

“The mob had taken over. Videos circulated of political leaders being thrashed, their homes being stoned and set alight. The prime minister’s house was burning, the president’s residence, the Supreme Court, the parliament, supermarkets, police stations, and much more. And, of course, more deaths to count. The chief of the army made an appearance to call for restraint and calm, but this did little to stop the looting and violence. Finally, well into the night, came an announcement that the army was being deployed to restore order.” 

“Today Nepal woke up to deep uncertainty. The feeling is the government had to answer for the 19 dead, that Oli and the old guard had to go. But the scale of the arson, the bloodletting, the mob running free – past the red haze of anger, few can justify all of that. Nobody knows who is now in charge. Nobody can say what happens next.”

You can read the detailed analysis by Himal Southasian here.

Read this to understand how the media in Dhaka came under attack last year because of its perceived anti-people coverage that seemed removed from the concerns of the average Bangladeshi.

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