Roots of the Clash in Simara
The clash in Simara on 19–20 November 2025 was never about one flight or two politicians. It was the inevitable eruption of a Gen-Z protest that lost seventy-six friends in September and has been told, ever since, to “move on.” When news broke that CPN-UML General Secretary Shankar Pokharel and youth leader Mahesh Basnet—faces the youth hold responsible for last autumn’s killings—were scheduled to land at Simara Airport, the message was clear: the old regime believes it can return without paying a price. The Gen-Z protest answered with fire.
Day One: Airport Under Siege
Wednesday, 19 November. Hundreds of young protesters stormed Simara Airport before noon. Gates were torn down, UML flags set ablaze, and demonstrators spilled onto the tarmac. Buddha Air cancelled every Kathmandu–Simara flight. Pokharel and Basnet’s aircraft was forced to turn back mid-flight. By afternoon, the battle moved to Simara Chowk. UML cadres armed with sticks and rods clashed with stone-throwing youth. Tear gas blanketed the town. The first curfew was declared until midnight.
Day Two: The Clash in Simara Intensifies
Thursday, 20 November. The Gen-Z protest regrouped at 11 a.m. and marched again. This time, the violence was worse. Gen-Z leader Samrat Upadhyay was beaten unconscious in full view of cameras. At least ten others were injured. Police used batons and tear-gas shells indiscriminately. At 1 p.m., the District Administration Office imposed a second curfew—1 p.m. to 8 p.m.—covering the airport, Jeetpur-Simara city, and the entire stretch along the Gandak Canal–Pathlaiya road. Residents were warned that shoot-on-sight orders were ready if the situation spiralled further.
Arrests That Changed Nothing
Two UML ward chairmen—Dhan Bahadur Shrestha and Kaimoddin Ansari—were detained for attacking protesters. The Gen-Z protest was celebrated briefly on social media, then pointed out the glaring gap: six other named assailants, all senior UML cadres, remain untouched. “They arrest the small fish to protect the sharks,” one protester posted alongside a list of the six untouchables.
Simara Under Lockdown
For two straight days, life stopped. Markets closed. Hospitals turned away non-emergency patients. Trucks carrying vegetables to Kathmandu were stranded. Migrant workers heading to India slept on the highway. A shopkeeper in Jeetpur-Simara told reporters, “We supported the Gen-Z protest in September. Today we just want to feed our children.”
The Real Battle Behind the Clash in Simara
The clash in Simara is the physical manifestation of a deeper war:
- The Gen-Z protest wants justice—no election tickets, no amnesty for anyone linked to September’s killings.
- The old parties want the clock turned back to before the uprising, using every cancelled flight and broken window in Simara to label the youth as “anarchists.”
Interim Prime Minister Sushila Karki has urged “restraint on all sides,” but twelve districts are now under curfew or prohibitory orders. Restraint, it seems, is a one-way street.https://theinfohatch.com/nepal-september-2025-turmoil-jholey-network/
A Revolution at the Crossroads
The Gen-Z protest has already proven it can topple governments. The clash in Simara is testing whether it can finish what it started. If the youth cannot force a credible truth-and-reconciliation process and constitutional safeguards against the old cartel, public patience will erode fast. If the state keeps shielding party goons who beat and kill, the clash in Simara will not stay confined to Bara district.https://www.hindustantimes.com/
Tonight, Simara is quiet, suffocated by curfew. But quiet is not surrender. Somewhere in the darkness, the next plan is already being drawn on encrypted chats. The Gen-Z protest is wounded, angry, and far from finished.
The clash in Simara was not the end of the revolution. It was the reminder that the revolution still has teeth.