From ribbon-cutting to mob violence: Nepal FM Arzu Rana Deuba becomes face of nation's crisis

The “before-and-after” images of Arzu Rana Deuba -- first as a cabinet minister at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, then as a battered victim of mob violence -- have come to embody Nepal’s turmoil.

Just four days have separated two starkly different images of Nepal’s Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba.

On September 4, she was photographed smiling at Tribhuvan International Airport while unveiling two aircraft gifted by the U.S. By September 9, viral videos showed her bloodied, pleading, and being kicked by furious demonstrators who stormed her Kathmandu residence and set it ablaze.

The assault on Dr. Deuba and her husband, former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress chief Sher Bahadur Deuba, has become one of the most disturbing show of Nepal’s nationwide uprising led by Gen-Z protesters.

What began as anger over Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s sweeping ban on 26 social media platforms quickly spiralled into the Himalayan nation's most violent political crisis in years. The crackdown has sparked mass student-led demonstrations that left 19 dead on the first day. Oli eventually revoked the ban and announced his resignation, but the concessions came too late to contain the fury.

Mobs have since targeted senior politicians across Kathmandu, torching homes and assaulting ministers. In one of the most chilling incidents, Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal, was killed after protesters allegedly trapped her inside her residence and set it on fire.

At the Deuba residence in Budanilkantha, videos captured chaotic scenes -- protesters barging inside, punching and kicking the foreign minister, and thrashing Sher Bahadur Deuba as he lay on the ground. “Sorry bol,” one demonstrator shouted as others demanded apologies for corruption. However, some protesters later tried to shield the injured couple, who were eventually evacuated by the Army.

Meanwhile, with the government's collapse, the Nepal Army has imposed a nationwide curfew, seized control of Singhdurbar and Tribhuvan International Airport, and deployed troops to secure key heritage sites. Helicopters have been dispatched to rescue ministers and their families as mobs continue to target political leaders.

The “before-and-after” images of Arzu Rana Deuba -- first as a cabinet minister at a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, then as a battered victim of mob violence -- have come to embody Nepal’s turmoil.