Indian Students Uneasy Amid Political Unrest in Nepal 2025

The political instability in Nepal has caused Indian students apprehension as violent demonstrations keep shaking academic life in the Himalayan country. Having more than 3,000-4,000 Indian students already taking medical and non-medical programs in Nepal, the condition has raised an unprecedented challenge to their learning and security.

Current Situation Unfolds

Naina, a second-year MBBS student of Odisha at Kathmandu Medical College in Duwakot, is a typical example of the destiny of hundreds of Indian students. She was to go on vacation beginning September 12, but her plans had to be cut short after violent attacks by students caused the cancellation of her four remaining examinations.

Food delivery applications are shut, but there is no big issue with the food since our college mess is still open, Naina replied when the reporters contacted her by phone. This has left most of the students within the premises of their campuses because the external environments are unsafe.

Scale of the Indian Student Population

According to government statistics, over 600 Indian students moved to Nepal in 2024, accompanying the existing 3,000-4,000 Indian students in different Nepalese institutions. According to study-abroad advisors, most students are studying medical degrees and prefer Nepal because it has low-cost education and is close to India.

Karunn Kandoi, the founder and CEO of study-abroad company Vidysea, estimates about 2,000 Indian students in medical and non-medical colleges in Nepal each. Most of these students belong to the eastern Indian states such as Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Northeast and West Bengal.

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Safety Concerns Mount

The aggressive anti-government protests have raised serious safety issues concerning the Indian students and their families. It has been reported that hospitals have no beds to occupy, and the blood banks are operating on extremely low supplies.

A second-year MBBS student, Binita Manna of Birat Medical College, Biratnagar, explained the frightening circumstance: Within the college, we are okay, but outside it is not. The torching of a shopping mall within 10-15 minutes of the campus increased the fears of the students.

The state of affairs has become a significant concern, so most students are desperate to go home. "I want to go home right now. I do not know how, but I wish I could go back," Binita said in a fear-laden voice.

Government Response and Advisory

The Indian government has given detailed advisories to its citizens in Nepal. The Ministry of External Affairs on September 8, 2025, recommended that Indian citizens postpone any travel to Nepal until the situation is stabilised. The warning has been issued directly, specifically to Indians who are in Nepal:

• Housing in their present whereabouts.

• Do not go on the streets.

• Exercise all due caution.

• Observe the local Nepal safety guidelines.

The Embassy of India in Kathmandu has developed emergency helpline numbers:

1. +977 – 980 860 2881 (WhatsApp calls available)

2. +977 – 981 032 6134 (WhatsApp calls available)

Impact on Academic Operations

Academic disruption goes further than cancelled exams. Many concerned parents have called the office of a prominent Kathmandu medical college director, who said that they had received many international calls in an attempt to reach their children since the initial ban on social media was issued during the weekend.

Study-Abroad Consultant Perspectives

Consultancy firms in the educational sector have been operating 24/7 to keep in touch with their students. A study-abroad company, Edunom, which deploys about 50 students to Nepal each year, writes that most of them still intend to return to India, following their exams.

Lambodar Rout, the director of Edunom, stresses that there is constant communication between his firm and the students and their parents in this crisis period. Equally, the other consultancy firms refer to the situation as a wait-and-watch mode, as opposed to an earlier crisis, such as the Ukraine war or anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh.

Protest Background and Timeline

The present uproar started with protests against government corruption and nepotism led by Gen Z, first instigated by a social media ban on more than 20 sites. The demonstrations turned out of proportion when a government vehicle hit a young girl, which the Prime Minister did not consider a factor at all, which brought more and more people to the streets.

The bloodshed climaxed on September 9, 2025, when no fewer than 19 individuals were killed in confrontations with the security agencies. By September 10, demonstrators had burnt Parliament buildings and attacked the houses of prominent politicians, which eventually forced the Prime Minister KP Oli to resign.

Communication Challenges

The first social media ban hurt the students, affecting their family communication. Most students complained of having low connectivity to mobile networks, resulting in the inability to stay in constant touch with anxious parents in India.

Even though the restrictions on platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, and Instagram were lifted on Tuesday night, the communication problem is still observed because of the unrest and the destruction of infrastructure.

Long-term Implications

The crisis highlights the frailty of cross-border educational arrangements in political instability. Considering that Nepal is a shared place among Indian students looking to get quality medical education at affordable rates, these occurrences may seriously affect the future trends in enrollment.

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International Student Mobility Context

Nepal has become a significant competitor in the international education market with around 45,000 Nepalese students getting post-secondary student visas to popular English-speaking destinations in 2023, a 15% increase over the past year. Nevertheless, the recent crisis can influence such a bidirectional educational flow.

The case also indicates broader regional educational dynamics, with the students of South Asian nations often transnational in pursuit of a higher education. Nepal also contributed the most students to India as one of the foreign nationals in 2021-22, with 28% of the international students enrolled in Indian institutions.

Economic Impact on Families

The Indian families have also spent a lot of resources on their children's Nepalese education because they see it as a cheap substitute for the costly Indian medical colleges. Not only is the present crisis a threat to the short-term educational objectives, but it is also a significant financial liability to these families.

The unpredictability of academic schedules and possible evacuation expenses is another economic worry for parents who have already invested in multi-year education plans.

Conclusion

There is still no end to the unrest among Indian students in Nepal, as the political situation is undergoing unforeseen changes. As the military now patrols Kathmandu streets and a curfew is in place until Thursday morning, the priority is to see that the students are safe and, hopefully, that the crisis can be solved in the final analysis. The future of India-Nepal educational collaboration will be significantly determined by the speed at which normalcy can be restored in the Himalayan country and the efficacy of security protocols both governments use. Contact TerraTern for more information!