Indian tourist in Nepal makes desperate appeal: ‘Mob torched hotel, was behind me with sticks’

APicture has surfaced from Pokhara during the on-going “Gen Z” protests in kingdom of nepal, showing an amerind adult female appealing for help from the Indian government.The woman, who identified herself as Upasita Kale, has claimed that protesters set fire to the hotel, where she was staying, while she was at a spa and later a mob carrying sticks were running behind her, leaving her to flee for safety.The woman added that she had come to Nepal to host a volleyball league.“My name is Upasita Kale, and I am sending this video to Praful Garg. I request the Indian embassy to please help us. All those who can help us, please help. I am stranded here in Pokhara, Nepal. I had come here to host a volleyball league, and currently, the hotel where I was staying has been burned down. All my luggage, all my belongings, were in my room, and the entire hotel was set on fire. I was in the spa, and people were running behind me with very large sticks, and I barely managed to escape with my life,” the Indian woman is heard saying in the video.The student-led Gen Z protests in Nepal that began against a government ban on social media expanded into a larger campaign reflecting growing public criticism of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli-led dispensation and the country's political elite over alleged corruption and apathy towards the common people.Oli resigned in the face of massive protests for a second day, even as the ban on social media was lifted late on Monday night. The demonstrators stormed many government buildings and set the parliament as well as homes of several high-profile leaders ablaze, a day after 19 people died in violence.According to Upasita Kale, the protesters did not spare even tourists.“The situation here is very bad. Fires are being set on roads everywhere. They are not sparing tourists here. They don't care if someone is a tourist or if someone has come here for work. They are setting fires everywhere without thinking, and the situation has become very, very bad here. We don't know how long we will stay in another hotel. But I just request the Indian embassy that please, this video, this message, should be delivered to them. With folded hands, I request all of you, please help us. There are many people with me here, and we are all stranded here,” Kale added.Watch the video here:What Indian embassy saidThe Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, meanwhile, has issued an advisory for all its nationals in Nepal to “defer travel” there until the situation has stabilised.The India embassy also provides emergency contact numbers for those facing any urgent situation or requiring assistance.Sharing a post on X, the Indian embassy wrote, "All Indian nationals in Nepal are hereby requested to note the following telephone numbers from the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, for contact, in case they are facing any emergency situation or require assistance: 977 - 980 860 2881, 977 - 981 032 6134."The ministry of external affairs advised nationals to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution."In view of the developing situation in Nepal, Indian citizens are advised to defer travel there until the situation has stabilised. Indian citizens presently in Nepal are advised to shelter in their current places of residence, avoid going out onto the streets and exercise all due caution," the MEA said.“They are also advised to follow local safety advisories from the Nepal authorities as well as the Embassy of India in Kathmandu. In case of any assistance required, please call the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, on the following helpline numbers: 977 - 980 860 2881 ( WhatsApp call also) 977 - 981 032 6134 ( WhatsApp call also ),” the MEA added.Indian tourists return from NepalThe India-Nepal border at Sonauli in Uttar Pradesh's Maharajganj saw an influx of Indian tourists on Wednesday as many cut short their trips and returned home due to the escalating unrest in Nepal.Pramila Saxena, one of the many tourists, had planned to visit Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal's Kathmandu."We were going to Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal, from Bhopal (MP). We had boarded the flight, but it was cancelled. So, we deplaned. The situation is tense there. We are not being allowed to cross. The airport is closed. So, we have come back. We were a group of 60 people - all senior citizens. We are returning from the airport," news agency ANI quoted Saxena as saying.Another tourist, Ashok, said the flight was cancelled and they had to stay in a lodge overnight."We were going to Kathmandu, to Pashupatinath Temple. But the flight was cancelled. We stayed in a lodge overnight and now we are returning home," he told ANI.Nepal's President Ram Chandra Paudel on Tuesday called on protesting citizens to pursue a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Gen Z movement through dialogue.(With inputs from agencies)