Kannadiga families stuck in Nepal look to return home as tensions ease

BALLARI, RAMANAGARA: As Nepal goes through a political turmoil, with Gen-Z protesters burning down buildings and vehicles, several Kannadigas who had travelled to the Himalayan nation are caught in the tense situation. The Nepal army has called upon the protesters to desist from violence.

Among those stuck in Nepal is a family from Hosapete in Vijayanagar district, who are stuck at Pokhara in Nepal. The family of Girish had travelled to Nepal on September 6 and had checked into a hotel at Pokhara. After witnessing protesters set fire to a hotel on the opposite side of the road, the family is now in fear.

The family had planned to travel to Kathmandu on September 9, but is afraid to step out. With no mobile network, they have not been able to reach out to their relatives in Hosapete. Due to the army’s presence, they are now safe and are waiting for the roads to be cleared. Girish works for Jindal as an engineer, relatives said.

Another family of four from Ramanagara, who were part of a group of 30 from Bengaluru, who had travelled to Kathmandu, managed to reach Janakpuri and were expected to reach the Deogarh airport in Jharkhand on Thursday.

The group had travelled from the Kempegowda International Airport on September 1 and was on a 13-day trip. Including the group, about 50 Kannadigas were stuck in the Kathmandu hotel where they were staying.

The group first went to Ayodhya and from there to the Nepal border to reach Kathmandu from Pokhara on September 8. After darshan of Manokamanadevi, and Pashupatinath, they got information about the largescale protests on September 9. They are expected to be back on September 13.