Nepal’s ’Gen Z’ movement is propaganda by extremists in India

India's extremists' misleading propaganda about Nepal's 'Gen Z' movement
Some people in India are claiming that these protests are demanding the formation of a 'Hindu Rashtra'. Others are saying that these protests are 'instigated and funded by anti-Hindu forces and Islamists.'

In Nepal, the Zenjis have forced the country's prime minister to resign in a bid to stop inefficient governance and corruption and have burned down the parliament building in a protest against government bans on social media. But among neighboring India, this violence is being portrayed online in a completely different way: it is being perceived as a religious uprising. The Indian media also gave a religious veneer to the mass uprising in Bangladesh in July last year.

Now, in the Nepal incident, some people in India are claiming that these protests are demanding the formation of a 'Hindu Rashtra', while others are saying that it is the opposite - an attack on faith.

This perception is reinforced by allegations by Indian broadcasters and politicians that vandals have vandalised Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple, a revered Hindu site in the Himalayan country.

“Some rioters, who were hiding in the crowd of protesters, tried to vandalise the temple, and the army was deployed after this incident,” a presenter said in a report on the right-wing Zee News television channel. The report showed people climbing the temple gate and forcibly moving it.

“The attack on the temple is an attack on Hinduism,” Jivesh Mishra, a member of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for eastern Bihar state, told reporters on Wednesday.

Right-wing influencers have also extended the claim to their thousands of followers.

But AFP fact-checkers have traced the source of the footage, which is actually a religious ritual called the Naxal Bhagwati Jatra, which was recorded weeks before the violence.

The temple's well-known monk, K.N. Swami, also posted clips on social media, denying claims that the temple was attacked.

"I am currently inside the temple, and everything is peaceful," he confirmed to AFP on Wednesday.

The protests in Nepal began on Monday in the capital Kathmandu, where young people have called themselves the "Gen Ji" movement.

The demonstrations have turned into nationwide demonstrations, with government buildings set ablaze after a deadly crackdown. Protesters set fire to KP Sharma Oli's house shortly after he resigned as prime minister.

Hundreds of social media posts have claimed, without evidence, that the protests were "instigated and funded by anti-Hindu forces and Islamists" to attack religious sites.

Since 2008, the secular republic of Nepal has seen regular protests by groups demanding the restoration of a Hindu state.

The posts, which have been viewed thousands of times on X, Instagram, Threads and Facebook, have compared Nepal’s unrest to the mass uprising in Bangladesh, where a student-led movement ousted long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina last year.
Meanwhile, ‘Hindu Nation’ – a popular BJP hashtag – has been trending on Indian social media platforms.

The posts warn that India should ‘be prepared for a similar youth uprising’.

“The need for quick news is high in India, and that has led to the spread of misinformation on their part. What is spreading now is speculation and rumours, which are the natural reactions of people in such situations,” said Prashant Das, a senior research fellow at South Asian University.

Yesterday’s footage showed protesters demanding a Hindu monarchy, which was falsely shared as Nepal’s “Gen G” movement being against corruption. But Indian extremists claim that the movement is based on religion.

Another image has been shared, claiming that the protesters want India's influential Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath to be the new Prime Minister of Nepal.