Indian bus ambushed near Kathmandu as Nepal’s unrest deepens; several injured

Amid the turmoil roiling Nepal’s streets, a sacred pilgrimage turned harrowing when an Indian tourist bus returning from Kathmandu’s revered Pashupatinath Temple came under attack, leaving several passengers injured in the chaos.

The incident reportedly occurred on 9 September near Sonauli, along the India-Nepal border, when a mob targeted the bus carrying 49 Indian nationals. Stones were hurled at the vehicle, shattering its windows and injuring several passengers, including women and the elderly, the driver said.

Local authorities admitted the injured to a hospital in Kathmandu, while the remaining passengers were flown back to India on a special aircraft arranged by the Indian Embassy in coordination with the Nepalese government.

Speaking to reporters in Sonauli, driver Ramu Nishad recounted the ordeal: “We were returning after darshan at the Pashupatinath Temple when suddenly a mob surrounded our bus and began pelting stones without reason. There were women and elderly people onboard, but the protesters did not care.”

The alleged attack comes amid a deepening political crisis in Nepal, where Gen Z protesters — the youth-led group at the forefront of anti-government demonstrations — have demanded the dissolution of Parliament and amendments to the Constitution to reflect the people’s will.

The unrest, which has so far claimed 34 lives, has prompted urgent discussions between protest leaders, President Ramchandra Paudel, and army chief Ashok Raj Sigdel at the army headquarters as efforts continue to defuse the crisis.

Meanwhile, Nepal has introduced temporary measures to help foreign nationals stranded amid the Kathmandu Valley curfew.

Immigration officials said travellers with visas valid until 8 September can now regularise them and obtain exit permits without extra fees at immigration offices or departure points.

Provisions have also been made to transfer visas to emergency passports or new travel documents issued by embassies. A prohibitory order is in place from 11 am to 5 pm, while a curfew will run from 7 pm on Friday to 6 am on Saturday.

With PTI inputs