DOMINANT ANGLE
Kathmandu holds the portrait of a youth defying Modi: the Nepalese press, via Reuters and AFP dispatches, tells the story of the "cafards" movement and the journey of its founder Abhijeet Dipke.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Thousands of police and paramilitaries were deployed in New Delhi on Saturday, October 10, with mobile internet suspended in the center and dozens of metro stations and markets closed (Reuters via The Kathmandu Post).
- 02
The founder of the Cockroach Janta Party, Abhijeet Dipke, 31, and two leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were arrested upon landing from their flight from Mumbai.
- 03
The revision of voter lists is said to have removed around 130 million voters from a provisional list; the election commission claims to be targeting duplicates and ineligible voters (The Rising Nepal, AFP).
ANALYSIS
Katmandou, October 11, 2026. Nepal's press covered the events of Saturday, October 10, in New Delhi through Reuters and AFP dispatches, as reported by The Kathmandu Post and The Rising Nepal. The account begins with a massive deployment: "thousands of police and paramilitaries" deployed, mobile internet suspended in the central business district, dozens of metro stations and markets closed to prevent a gathering at Jantar Mantar, the designated protest site in the city center.
The purpose of the mobilization is presented in a straightforward manner: the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, following a revision of electoral lists that, according to his critics, benefits the Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Kathmandu Post reports that this revision would have removed around 130 million voters from a provisional list. The Rising Nepal specifies that the Election Commission rejects allegations of irregularity and claims to want to eliminate duplicates and ineligible voters.
The Kathmandu Post's headline mentions "hundreds" of people arrested; AFP, as reported by The Rising Nepal, mentions over 200 protesters according to local media. Scattered protests erupted elsewhere in the city, in a craft market and near the Mahatma Gandhi memorial, where young protesters chanted "Long live the revolution" before being pushed into buses, according to a Reuters witness.
The core of Nepal's coverage is human and generational. A detailed portrait presents Abhijeet Dipke, 31, from a Dalit family, who became famous after a six-word response to Supreme Court President Surya Kant's comments comparing young unemployed people to "cockroaches." This publication gave birth to the "Cockroach Janta Party," a satirical online movement that became a political force, whose pressure led to the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July, a rare departure from Modi's cabinet.
Dipke and two other leaders, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, were arrested upon landing from their flight from Mumbai. The Kathmandu Post quotes his statement on board: "I came to be arrested, arrest me... I'm not afraid of you." Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, denounces, in terms reported by AFP, an "absolute dictatorship" led by Modi. The selected articles do not report any official Nepalese reaction.
SOURCES (2)
- The Kathmandu PostMEDIUM
- The Rising NepalMEDIUM
