Nepal turmoil drives migrants back home from India

Nepalis rush home from India as deadly protests have engulfed the Himalayan nation.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveWorried migrants head home from India after Nepal turmoil15 hours agoShareSaveSoutik BiswasIndia correspondentShareSaveReutersMigrants workers from Nepal like Kali Devi work in construction sites in IndiaAt a bus stand in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, the anxious faces tell their own story.

Nepalis who once came to India in search of work are now hurrying back across the border, as the nation reels with its worst unrest in decades. "We are returning home to our motherland," says one man. "We are confused. People are asking us to come back."

Earlier this week, Nepal's Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli quit after 30 died in clashes triggered by a social media ban. While the ban was later reversed, Gen Z-led protests raged on. A nationwide curfew is in place, soldiers patrol the streets, and parliament and politicians' homes have been set ablaze. With Oli gone, Nepal has no government in place.

For migrants like Saroj Nevarbani, the choice is stark. "There's trouble back home, so I must return. My parents are there - the situation is grave," he told BBC Hindi. Others, like Pesal and Lakshman Bhatt, echo the uncertainty. "We know nothing," they say, "but people at home have asked us to come back".

For many, the journey back is not just about wages or work - it is bound up with family ties, insecurity, and the rhythms of migration that have long shaped Nepali lives. Nepalis in India, after all, fall broadly into three groups.