Who is Sudan Gurung, the man behind massive Gen Z protest in Nepal?

Sudan Gurung, president of Hami Nepal, founded the organisation in 2015 after the deadly earthquake highlighted a lack of an effective emergency response programme

Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on Tuesday, a day after the country witnessed one of its most violent protests led by students and youth, who stormed Parliament in opposition to the social media ban. According to reports, at the heart of the protest is 38-year-old Sudan Gurung, who leads Hami Nepal, the organisation behind the Gen Z protest, which turned deadly and resulted in 19 deaths and more than 300 injuries.

 

Who is Sudan Gurung?

 

According to a report in The Annapurna Express, before founding the NGO Hami Nepal, Gurung worked in event management. He was a DJ and also owned a nightclub, OMG.

 

 

However, the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives, prompted him to change course. Gurung used social media to call for volunteers to aid in the relief programme, and nearly 200 people responded.

 

Gurung then formed Hami Nepal, which engages in emergency response initiatives and supports post-earthquake rehabilitation projects. His organisation also worked actively during the coronavirus outbreak of 2019 and sent supplies to Turkiye following the earthquake.

 

Gurung has also led several protests in the past, including the Ghopa Camp protest in Dharan in eastern Nepal, which raised awareness in every household of the importance of transparency at the BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences and highlighted the need to improve medical services there.

 

What's Sudan Gurung's role in GenZ protest?

 

Sudan Gurung and his organisation, Hami Nepal, called for peaceful protests against the government for banning social media.

 

Ahead of the blackout, Hami Nepal used Instagram and Discord and called people to protest at Maitighar Mandala on September 8. The organisation also shared videos titled “how to protest”, urging students to turn up in uniforms with their books and bags as a peaceful symbol of dissent.

 

Nepal protests against social media ban

 

Thousands of protestors stormed Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, on Monday to oppose the social media ban after nearly 26 platforms went dark following a government directive. While the ban triggered the immediate unrest, other issues also fuelled discontent, including corruption allegations against political leaders and widespread unemployment. Even though the apps were banned, the protest was coordinated using VPNs and encrypted applications.cal leaders and joblessness. Even though the social media apps were banned, the protest was organised with the use of VPNs and encrypted applications.