A Moral Injury: How Police Actions Have Damaged State-Citizen Trust

The actions of the security forces in Nepal, who killed 19 protesters, have inflicted a deep “moral injury” on the nation, severely damaging the fundamental trust between citizens and the state. This breach of trust, particularly with the younger generation, will have long-lasting consequences for social cohesion and the legitimacy of government institutions.
The statement from wounded protester Nima Tendi Sherpa—that he doesn’t blame the individual policemen but the ones who gave the orders—highlights the core of the issue. The public sees the police not as independent protectors of the peace, but as instruments of a repressive political will. This perception destroys the police’s legitimacy and recasts them as an occupying force in their own country.
This moral injury extends beyond the police. It implicates the entire government and political class who are seen as responsible for the violence. When the state turns its weapons on its own people for peacefully protesting, it violates the most basic tenet of the social contract. This is a wound that cannot be healed by a prime minister’s resignation alone.
Rebuilding this shattered trust will be a monumental task. It will require not just political changes but also a process of genuine accountability for the violence. Without a full and transparent investigation and justice for the victims, the moral injury will continue to fester, poisoning the relationship between the people and the state for years to come.