'Protests Are Justified': Nepali Community In Pune Voices Support, Fears For Families Back Home

Amid the ongoing protests and political unrest in Nepal, around 23 tourists from Maharashtra, including several from Pune, have been left stranded. The situation has created anxiety among their families back home, even as the state government has assured that all necessary steps are being taken to bring them back safely.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter): "Against the backdrop of political instability in Nepal and the resulting tension, the state government is making concerted efforts to safely bring back tourists from Maharashtra who are stranded there. Through the Ministry of External Affairs and Maharashtra Govt, we are in contact with the Indian Embassy in Nepal, striving to provide necessary assistance. The priority is to bring every stranded tourist home safely and provide relief to their families. An appeal is made to tourists not to panic."

So far, information suggests that nearly 100 tourists from Thane, Pune, Mumbai, Latur, and Kolhapur are affected. A group from Beed has already managed to reach Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, by road. The majority of those stranded are from Murbad in Thane district. Authorities have clarified that all tourists are currently safe.

In Pune, people who are from Nepal also shared their views about the ongoing situation.

Amar Bahadur, a native of Nepal who sells sweaters on Laxmi Road in Pune, said, "The agitation going on in Nepal is right. Those who have done politics in the last 30 to 35 years have done nothing but corruption. They have created a situation of unemployment and inflation in the country without doing any development work and this agitation has been started against this."

Padam Bahadur, another native of Nepal, said, "We have been in Pune for the past many years due to work. We only talk to our parents at home through social media. The decision taken by the government to ban social media was very wrong. Also, whatever agitation is going on there now is right. The government had not taken any decisions in the interest of the people, and this was bound to happen sooner or later. We have a lot of expectations from whatever the new government is going to do now."

Shilpa Chatriya, a student at SPPU from Nepal, said, "Whatever is happening there at home is troubling, our country is burning and we can't connect to our families also. But as a student, I don't see a future there because our leaders are corrupt. The protest is right, but it should have been more organised and conducted peaceful, and killings shouldn't have happened."