As if struck by an earthquake, scores of buildings now lie in ruin, not only in Kathmandu, but also in the districts. Rarely has a spontaneous youth movement accomplished such a coordinated attack on strategic infrastructure in such a short time. Typically, a peaceful demonstration turned violent leads to random vandalism on whatever is around. This case, however, was different.

It all began in earnest on Monday, starting with a peaceful demonstration which escalated into violent clashes. The next day, massive attacks took the unrest to an unprecedented level. Tuesday evening Singha Durbar was still burning, smoke billowing over the capital; Bhat-Bhateni was in flames; and the Parliament and Supreme Court buildings had been torched.

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