Nepali Migrants Flee Turmoil Back Home as Nepal Faces Unrest

Wed Oct 22 2025 01:25:23 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

As political chaos engulfs Nepal following the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, many Nepali migrants in India are rushing back amid fears for their families. The unrest, ignited by a temporary ban on social media and exacerbated by violent clashes, has led to an uncertain future for those returning home.

Faced with unprecedented unrest in Nepal, Nepali migrant workers in India are choosing to return home. After Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli's resignation amid violent protests, migrants express confusion and urgency, highlighting the deep connections between family ties and the economic landscape. Many Nepalis are caught between the struggle for survival in India and a turbulent political situation back home, leading to fears of increased migration if the instability continues.

At a bus stand in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, the anxious faces tell their own story.

Nepalis who once came to India in search of work are now hurrying back across the border, as the nation reels with its worst unrest in decades. We are returning home to our motherland, says one man. We are confused. People are asking us to come back.

Earlier this week, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli quit after 30 died in clashes triggered by a social media ban. While the ban was later reversed, Gen Z-led protests raged on. A nationwide curfew is in place, soldiers patrol the streets, and parliament and politicians' homes have been set ablaze. With Oli gone, Nepal has no government in place.

For migrants like Saroj Nevarbani, the choice is stark. There's trouble back home, so I must return. My parents are there - the situation is grave, he told BBC Hindi.

Others, like Pesal and Lakshman Bhatt, echo the uncertainty. We know nothing, they say, but people at home have asked us to come back.

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