Kathmandu. The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN) has “strongly condemned” and “condemned” the government’s brutal and extreme repression during the peaceful protests by Gen-G generation teenagers across the country on September 7. IPPAN expressed its deep sorrow over the killing of 19 teenagers and injuries to hundreds.

IPPAN has concluded that KP Sharma Oli’s government is more cruel than Gyanendra Shah. “Firing on youths participating in peaceful demonstrations is a direct violation of the state’s constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression. “This situation is reminiscent of the people’s movement during the autocratic reign of King Gyanendra (2006÷630 that resulted in the loss of 26 lives.

The power entrepreneurs who are involved in the construction of projects up to 5,000 MW of electricity in the country have been paying more than Rs 3.5 billion as royalty annually. It also emphasized that the energy sector has created thousands of jobs and is the mainstay of infrastructure development. However, IPPAN has demanded the formation of an independent and impartial investigation committee into the incident, arguing that corruption, misgovernance, corrupt appointments and influencing the infrastructure have caused extreme frustration among the youths due to the vested interests of a few constitutional bodies and state actors.

Likewise, IPPAN has demanded compensation to the families of the deceased and free medical treatment to the injured. Likewise, IPPAN has appealed to the government to ensure that all those responsible are held accountable along with the Home Minister’s moral resignation and to provide financial and material support to energy entrepreneurs for the treatment of the injured.

Blocking social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc. for whatever purpose the government did was the beginning of the protests. The youth then went on a demonstration raising deeper issues such as corruption, lack of jobs, inequality of opportunity, and the silence of the people’s voices. IPPAN lamented the government’s attempt to retaliate against demonstrators in a regrettable and retaliatory manner by using force, gunfire, water breaking, and gas.