Nepal - “Shot like enemies”

Loading player...
Nepal has just held a historic election — one that has toppled the old political guard and swept a new generation of leaders into power, many backed by Gen Z voters.

The elections were called after young people took to the streets to protest against corruption and a political class which was slow to change.

But the protest of 8 September 2025 got out of hand and the police struggled to maintain order. It resulted in the death of 19 young protesters. The following day, more protests led to the fall of the government.

Drawing on more than 4000 videos filmed on the streets, testimony from police and protesters and an exclusive leaked record of police radio, Subina Shrestha reveals how Nepali authorities lost control of this protest. And ask - did Nepal’s police, army and politicians fail a generation desperate for change?

This was an investigation for BBC Eye and Assignment.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from Assignment, investigations and journeys into the heart of global events.
21 Mar 9PM English United Kingdom Education

Other recent episodes

Introducing: The Climate Question: China's green energy revolution

China is installing solar panels and wind turbines so fast that its greenhouse gases emissions may now have peaked. If this trend is confirmed, it would be a major milestone in the fight against climate change because China is the world's largest polluter. The BBC’s Beijing Correspondent Laura Bicker has…
25 Apr 8PM 30 min

Inside the Mugabe dynasty

Late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died in 2019, but in the years before and since his death, his three children with his former wife, Grace, consistenly made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In April 2026 Bellarmine Mugabe pled guilty to a firearms offence in South Africa and last year,…
25 Apr 8AM 26 min

Meet the preppers

“Stockpiling peace” preppers share their experiences
24 Apr 8PM 27 min

Faith and revolution in the Philippines

Forty years ago, a Filipino soldier serving under Ferdinand Marcos Sr, was ordered to attack civilians opposing the corrupt regime. After wrestling with his conscience, Gregorio ‘Gringo’ Honasan found he could not do it. Along with other soldiers who resigned from their posts, he founded the Reform for Armed Forces…
23 Apr 8PM 29 min

Under the influence of AI

AI is an ever-growing part of our everyday life through apps like Chat GPT, Grok and Claude that are becoming part of everyday life. But what happens when your conversations with AI start to feel more real than the world around you? In Northern Ireland, Adam was drawn into an…
22 Apr 8PM 31 min