On September 8, Gen Z protests intensified in Kathmandu. That evening, a photo circulated on social media requesting help to identify a man killed during the demonstrations. The image reached his family the following day.

He was a 64-year-old Chhatraman Kuthumi, from ward 10 of Pakhribas Municipality in Dhankuta. Kuthumi had lived in Kathmandu for over two decades. He described himself as a nationalist political awareness campaigner with friends and relatives.

His wife, Raj Kumari Rai, said he ran small businesses and worked as a ​ shaman. “He rarely came home, so we had no idea of his whereabouts or condition. When I heard about his death, it felt like the ground had collapsed beneath us,” said Rai.

His brother Kishor Kuthumi said they initially were unsure if the photo circulating on social media was indeed their brother, but after contacting relatives, they confirmed it.

“He sometimes sent photos of himself holding royalist flags,” Kishor said. “We did not know he would join the protest. Learning of his death was shocking.”