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By Our Reporter

The move to investigate the assets of Sher Bahadur Deuba, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and Deepak Khadka lands at a moment when young Nepalis are openly questioning how the country has been run. The forensic report that confirmed the presence of Nepali and foreign currency in the burnt piles recovered from their homes has pushed the state to act.

Once the Department of Money Laundering Investigation (DMLI) teams entered the houses and prepared inventories, it removed the usual excuse that there was nothing to look into. The department now has enough material to check where the money came from, who handled it, and why it was kept in that manner.

This action matters because it responds to the larger mood created by the Gen Z protests. Young Nepalis have made their point clearly. They want those who held the highest offices to face the same level of scrutiny that ordinary citizens face.

Their frustration rose because past governments spared senior leaders, while middle-level figures were punished for far smaller violations. When videos during the September 9 fire incident showed burnt cash at the homes of Deuba, Dahal, and Khadka, it reinforced what many already believed, that the top tier had benefitted from a system that was never questioned.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki’s instruction to DMLI chief Gajendra Thakur reflects this shift. Her government now needs to show that investigations are not limited to speeches. The department has taken steps, from revisiting the houses to completing inventories and checking social media evidence.

The aim is simple: make sure money that cannot be traced to legal income sources is not used again inside the political circle. Gen Z protesters see this as the only way to break a chain of corruption that has fed political patronage for decades.

The focus on Deuba, Dahal, Khadka, and the mention of safes and burnt notes at Oli’s residence pulls all major leaders into the same frame. For years, they controlled the state, the bureaucracy, and the flow of public contracts.

Young Nepalis argue that asking them tough questions is not revenge. It is a basic requirement for a functioning system. The push to investigate assets is not only about this single case. It signals a shift where the public is no longer willing to accept that top leaders are above scrutiny. Young citizens want the state to treat every powerful figure the same way it treats everyone else.