Bhaktapur: “This is the time to do something meaningful for the nation. I am ready to die if necessary for the change our country needs. I am part of the movement, don’t worry Aama (mother),” were the last words Rita Chaulagain heard from her son.
Now, every time she recalls them, she feels a wrench in her heart. She finds it impossible to control her emotions whenever those words come to mind. Rita is the mother of Abhishek Chaulagain, 21, who was among those attaining martyrdom during the recent two-day Gen Z demonstrations.
The family originally from the Sailung rural municipality in Dolakha is the resident of Duwakot Somthali of Changunarayan municipality-2.
Dinesh Chaulagain, a police officer stationed at Sallaghari, Bhaktapur, was on duty during the Gen Z demonstrations held on September 8 and 9. Aware of the rising tension and the potential for violence especially on the second day, he earnestly advised his 22-year-old son, Abhishek, to stay away from the protests.
“The country is plagued by corruption, change is necessary,” Abhishek replied, his voice firm with conviction.
On September 9, Dinesh knew that Abhishek was still at home until around 11:15 a.m., and assumed he had heeded his advice. But after that, he had no idea where his son went or what he did.
As the day wore on and Abhishek failed to return home, worry began to set in. Repeated calls went unanswered as his phone was unreachable. By nightfall, the family was gripped by panic, unsure of his whereabouts and fearing the worst.
The news that came the following afternoon struck like a thunderbolt: the lifeless body of their beloved son was lying in a hospital. For Rita and her family, the pain was indescribable. Only those who have lost a child in such an unexpected, tragic way can truly understand the depth of that sorrow, she said.
Her son, Abhisek, was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management at Tri-Chandra College. His mother vividly remembers their last phone conversation.
“I don’t want to go abroad. I want to stay and do something for this nation,” Abhishek would say.
Later, the family learned that Abhisek had been shot during the protest in front of the Federal Parliament Building in New Baneshwor. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 pm on September 9.
His 15-year-old sister, Alisha, a tenth-grade student, is now consumed by grief over the loss of her elder brother. The family has no expectations for compensation or recognition. All they hope for is that Abhisek’s dream lives on, which is a nation free from corruption. “That was his wish,” they said.
In Duwakot, another family mourns the loss of their son. Keshab Budhathoki and Dil Kumari, originally from Bigu rural municipality-3 in Dolakha, are performing the final death rituals for their 22-year-old son, Mahesh Budhathoki, at a community ritual home.
Mahesh was not just a son, he was the pillar of hope for the family. His mother has been battling cancer for the past year, and Mahesh had taken on the role of her primary caregiver. Keshab works at a gas company in Sukedhara, while Mahesh managed the household and his mother’s care. He had also planned to travel to Malta for employment and had already paid Rs 50,000 to a manpower agency. Now, with his passing, the family is left devastated and without any reliable support.
Another young life lost in the same protest was that of Roshan (Yogendra) Neupane, a resident of Duwakot in Changunarayan municipality–1. Roshan had completed his SEE from Changunarayan Secondary School and was pursuing higher education. His family, who had traveled to their ancestral home in Sindhuli, now observes the mourning rituals in silence and sorrow.
These families know that their children who are now officially declared martyrs will never return. But they hold on to one hope: to see the change their children fought and died for. Only then, they say, will justice be done and their losses find meaning.
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