Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], September 11 : The Gorkha community in Dehradun has raised deep concerns about the recent violent incidents and unrest in neighbouring Nepal. They believe that Nepal's ongoing political instability has created a tense and uncertain situation for both countries.
Nepali students studying in Dehradun have postponed their plans to return home during the holidays due to the violent protests in their country. Families in Nepal are also advising their children not to travel back at this time.
Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha President, Padam Singh Thapa, condemned the violence in Nepal.
Thapa told ANI, "People in India are very unhappy with whatever has happened in Nepal. In Uttarakhand, there is a 17 per cent Gorkha population. There is frequent movement of people between India and Nepal, as there are no visa restrictions. The Gorkha community in Uttarakhand condemns whatever happened in Nepal. If the youth in Nepal had some demands, they should have peacefully held discussions with the government. There are 2.5 crore gorkhas in India. We feel that this kind of anarchy is condemnable. Gorkha people are known for their valour and honesty."
He further urged the Uttarakhand government to keep an eye on the evolving situation in the neighbouring country.
"The youth was worried that the KP Oli government was not addressing the problems of the youth and childrens of the politicians were living a lavish life abroad. Why so much nepotism? The youth were annoyed with the government. I would urge the Uttarakhand government to keep a watch on the situation," he added.
Gopal Chetri, Mahamantri Gorkha Sudhar Sabha, said that it is an unfortunate moment for the people of Nepal.
"We should help them based on humanity. The conflict between democracy and monarchy is their internal problem, but being a border country, we should have sympathy with them, and we want peace and normalcy to be restored there," he said.
Uday Thakur, Editor of Gorkhali Sudhar Sabha, said, "It is not clear why all this happened. The social media ban could be a trigger, as during the age of technology, a social media ban is not right. There can be other political reasons, including corruption," he added.
Meanwhile, Armed soldiers of the Nepal Army were patrolling the streets of Kathmandu, instructing residents to stay indoors, following a wave of deadly protests in the capital on Thursday.
The Nepali Army conducted checks on vehicles and pedestrians amid an indefinite curfew, imposed to "normalise" the city after mass unrest. During the protests, demonstrators set fire to several government buildings and forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign, Al Jazeera reported.
Amid ongoing unrest in the country for the past several days, Nepal President Ram Chandra Paudel on Thursday appealed to maintain peace, asserting that he is making "every effort" to find a way out of the current situation.
President Paudel said, "Respected Nepali brothers and sisters, I am making every effort to find a way out of the current difficult situation in the country within the constitutional framework and to protect democracy and maintain peace and order in the country. I appeal to all parties to be confident that a solution to the problem is being sought as soon as possible to address the demands of the agitating citizens and to cooperate with restraint in maintaining peace and order in the country."
The protest leaders in a press conference on Thursday have also collectively endorsed former Chief Justice Sushila Karki as their nominee for interim Prime Minister, citing her integrity and independence, following the resignation of the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli after widespread protests across the nation.
Meanwhile, 31 people have been killed and over 1000 injured in clashes with security forces during the anti-corruption demonstrations across the country, The Kathmandu Post reported.