Three Odias, Rashmi Ranjan Parida from Bhubaneswar, Debraj Mohanty, and Soumya Ranjan Sahoo, are stranded in Nepal’s capital of Kathmandu as widespread Gen Z-led protests have disrupted normal life. The trio had arrived to attend a literary festival scheduled for September 13 and 14, but escalating unrest and the closure of Tribhuvan International Airport have left them confined to their hotel.

In an exclusive interview with OTV, Parida termed the streets of Kathmandu as chaotic, with mobs attacking the residences of politicians and industrialists. He narrated that several homes were torched and hurled with stones on Tuesday, with a building near their hotel on fire, which allegedly belonged to a politician.

Ground Reality in Kathmandu

Despite the unrest, Parida assured that the trio remains safe inside their hotel, located roughly 700 meters from the Parliament and less than half a kilometre from the Prime Minister’s office, the hotspot of the ongoing violence.

“The people of Nepal are friendly towards tourists, especially Indians, and do not show any hostility towards us,” he said.

Parida added that local residents are taking care to ensure that foreigners are protected, and that the residential area around their hotel remains calm, while stating that their immediate area of Lalitpur is a residential zone and largely free from violence.