The toddler was put through an ancient and rigorous selection process.

A British tourist rolled into Nepal on the first day of the ‘Gen Z protests’ – which saw at least 30 people killed and its Parliament building set on fire – but he had no idea what was happening.

Harry, who is behind the YouTube channel ‘We Hate The Cold’, crossed the India-Nepal border on Monday evening and headed straight for the capital Kathmandu, which resembled a battlefield.

Realising his mobile did not have any data, the 28-year-old pulled his bike on the side of a road to try and find a hotel.

‘This is when someone came up to me, saying that I need to go to a hotel because there is curfew, and that 20 people have been shot,’ Harry recalled the harrowing experience in an interview with Metro.

‘It was a moment of disbelief. The person who came up to me helped me find a hotel and as I was driving, I had to go through a small mob who were chucking rocks at the riot police.

‘The police shot a gun in the air [in response].’

Harry has been in Nepal for four days now, coming face to face with some of the most brutal moments of the Gen Z uprising.

Footage shows him speeding through Kathmandu on his motorbike as tear gas canisters explode, and protesters hurl stones at riot police while black smoke billows from government buildings.

A video he shared on his YouTube page of the clashes has so far gathered more than 10 million views and counting, and he says he has now become a recognisable figure in the city.

He said: ‘Among the insane amount of aggression and violence, there was this incredible sense of humanity.

‘People were protecting me – telling me where not to go, offering me water, even giving me safe passage through the crowd…

‘They saw my camera and they wanted international media to see what is going on in Nepal because they felt they were being misrepresented.

‘They said, “The protest is not about social media. That was just the final straw”.’

Political turmoil has gripped the Himalayan country since the government announced a ban on dozens of social media sites, including Facebook, Tik Tok and Instagram.

Nepalis say this was just the spark that lit the flame, and that the riots are against rampant corruption.

Prime minister KP Sharma Oli has resigned since and the social media ban has been reversed.

In the meantime, representatives of the protesters met with military officials at the army headquarters in Kathmandu to discuss a transitional leader.

Looking back at the last four days, Harry said: ‘It kind of just unfolded into this absolute madness that I ha never seen before… like Doomsday.

‘Tear gas was going off, gunshots in the air, fireballs across the sky. There were moments where I thought, “Oh wow, I might actually die here.”‘

Observing the emblematic burning of the Parliament complex was ‘quite insane’ for him and ‘almost did not feel real.’

The tourist added: ‘A very big mix of strong emotions – you are being fired at, you experience tear gas, you laugh with people, you share things with people, you hear things get blown up.

‘A lot of it did not feel real, but also very real all at the same time.’

A nationwide curfew is currently in place and Harry said that ‘none of the shops are open, and everything is boarded up.’

Armed troops are guarding the main areas of Kathmandu, restoring some order.

Meanwhile, soldiers are checking vehicles and resident have been urged to remain in their homes.

Harry explained what the situation looks like right now: ‘It is wildly peaceful now – but you can still smell the smoke in the air.

‘Some buildings are completely charred, windows smashed, but across the street a hospital is untouched. Clearly, there is a code of ethics about what they destroy.’

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At least 19 people have been killed during what has been dubbed as the ‘Gen Z protest’ in Nepal after the government blocked WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and more than a dozen other apps.

Police fired live rounds at young protesters – many of them in their school uniforms – and used tear gas and rubber bullets on them, injuring another 400 people.

Demonstrations engulfed the capital Kathmandu and other cities across the Himalayan country, with tens of thousands of people pouring into the streets.

But the situation escalated as some breached the ‘restricted zone’ in the capital and entered the Parliament premises.

What sparked the protests?

This comes after the Nepalese government imposed a ban on major social media platforms, including Facebook, X and YouTube, last week.

Authorities say they did not comply with the registration process mandated under the Directives for Managing the Use of Social Networks, 2023.

A government notice directed the regulator, the Nepal Telecommunications Authority, to deactivate unregistered social media – but shared no details of which platforms faced action.

The services will be restored once the platforms comply with its order, the government said.

For many in Nepal, the demonstration is about the rampant corruption that has engulfed the government.

There have been several corruption cases reported in the last several years involving ministers, former ministers and high-profile officials.

Since the ban, videos contrasting the struggles of ordinary Nepalis with the children of politicians flaunting luxury goods and expensive vacations have gone viral on TikTok, which is still operating.

Student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24, said: ‘We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here.

‘We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in the country.’

What happened today?

Tensions had been brewing since then and today, mostly Gen Z protestors took to the streets demanding an end to corruption and the lifting of the ban.

As some Nepalis pushed through the barbed wire and broke through the barricade outside Parliament, police began firing ‘indiscriminately’.

Iman Magar, 20, who was hit in his right arm, said: ‘I had been there for a peaceful protest, but the government used force.

‘It was not a rubber bullet but a metallic one, and it took away a part of my hand. The doctor says I need to undergo an operation.’

Sirens rang through Kathmandu as the injured were rushed to hospitals.

Ranjana Nepal, information officer at the Civil Hospital, said: ‘I have never seen such a disturbing situation at the hospital.

‘Tear gas entered the hospital area as well, making it difficult for doctors to work.’

Reacting to the emerging reports of the deadly violence, Nirajan Thapaliya, director of Amnesty International Nepal, condemned the ‘unlawful use of lethal and less-lethal force’.

He said: ‘The protestors have a right to peacefully protest and express their frustration and outrage against corruption and the government’s restriction on the right to freedom of expression including the social media ban in Nepal.

‘It is the obligation of Nepali authorities to respect this right in line with its commitments under international law as well as its own Constitution and protect all protesters from further harm.

‘The government must genuinely listen to the legitimate demands of the youth to end corruption, deliver accountability and ensure civil liberties instead of meting out such reckless violence against them.’

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‘I couldn’t wait to be distracted from confusion, shame and pain.’

He was once told he would never walk unaided again.

He was once told he would never walk unaided again.