September 14, 2025

NAGPUR: What was meant to be a fun trip turned into a horror story for seven Nagpur friends trapped in Nepal’s wild Gen Z protests. Yash Chimurkar, Tushar Bais, Sahil Solanki, Aniket Thakre, Sagar Paradkar, Ajay Bawane, and Saurabh Thakre returned to Nagpur on Thursday, after a terrifying few days. "After visiting a few tourist spots, we left Kathmandu on Sept 9 to visit Chandragiri Hills," said Yash Chimurkar. "After coming down the hill at 11 am, we saw burning tyres barely 200 meters away and were warned not to go to Kathmandu. We did not know about the violent protests but felt the danger. It was a brush with death." The friends soon found themselves stuck and unable to drive further for two hours. A group of young protesters stopped their vehicle. "At first, we were threatened, but when they learned we were tourists, they let us go. We were hungry and pleaded with them. They cleared stones from the road so we could pass," Chimurkar described. Amid widespread arson and violence, even government buildings weren't safe. At night, the group hid cramped inside a car in a narrow alley for three tense hours. "We sat quietly in the car. Then some people knocked on the door. When we opened it, they hit us. We pushed them away and the driver sped off. Luckily, we found a hotel for shelter," one friend recalled. The chaos did not end there. On September 10, they reached near Sonauli, the India-Nepal border. Flames towering 50 feet high and over 100 violent protesters attacked every vehicle passing. "We hid behind a truck for some time," Chimurkar said. "Our driver wisely made a U-turn and escaped through a narrow road. When we saw Indian soldiers, we ran to them. They checked our papers and let us in." The group finally returned safely to Nagpur via Gorakhpur on September 11. What started as a joyful trip turned into a thrilling escape from chaos and violence. Their story is a vivid reminder of how quickly travel dreams can turn into nightmares.

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Tags: Nagpur friends, Nepal protests, Gen z protests, Stranded tourists, Nepal violence, Sonauli border,