KATHMANDU: More than a month after the deadly Gen-Z protests of September 8 and 9, authorities have yet to identify 12 of the 76 people who lost their lives in the nationwide unrest, Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal said on Tuesday.
According to Aryal, the government has released compensation of Rs 1.5 million each to the families of 53 identified civilians, along with three members of the Nepal Police who died during the protests.
“Of the 76 confirmed deaths, identities of 12 people remain unknown,” he said, adding that most of the unidentified victims were those who were burned beyond recognition while allegedly involved in arson and looting incidents.
Preliminary investigations suggest several of the unidentified bodies were found at Bhatbhateni Supermarket branches and nearby sites that were set ablaze during the violence. “Most of these cases involve people who died in fires set during attacks on properties,” Aryal said.
The home minister also confirmed that 10 inmates, including one foreign national, were killed when security personnel opened fire to prevent prison break attempts in various districts, including Ramechhap.
Official verification reports prepared by the police and local administration offices confirm that 10 of those killed were convicts, while 12 remain unverified due to lack of identification.
Earlier, the Nepal Army had reported that only 22 of the dead were protesters, claiming that another 41 people died from unrelated causes during the unrest.
A probe commission led by former Supreme Court justice Gauri Bahadur Karki is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths and the handling of the protests.
According to the government, 12 charred bodies were recovered from Bhatbhateni stores across the country, six in Chucchepati, one in Koteshwor, four in Sunsari, and one in Morang. The remains are being kept at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, but DNA testing has so far failed to establish their identities.
Authorities say the victims were burned beyond recognition, leaving only skeletal remains. The absence of relatives has further complicated efforts to match DNA samples.
Police have urged families of missing persons to come forward, noting that human skeletal remains were discovered in several burned buildings during the protests. However, as of this week, no relatives of the 12 unidentified victims have contacted investigators, prolonging the uncertainty over who they were, and how they died.
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