'I Just Want To Go Home': Indian Presenter Who Went To Host Volleyball Event In Nepal, Pleads For Embassy's Help After Hotel Set On Fire Amid Unrest - VIDEO

Pokhara: Amid the escalating unrest in Nepal, a video of Indian presenter Upasana Gill surfaced on social media, wherein she can be seen pleading for the Indian Embassy's help after being caught in violent protests in Pokhara.

Gill, who had travelled to Nepal to host a women's volleyball league, said she was staying at the Sarovar Hotel, which she claims was set ablaze by local protesters.

Have a look at her video post here:

Gill's Video Appeal

In a video shared on Instagram by independent journalist Praful Garg, Gill said, “I request the Indian Embassy to help us. Please help as many people as you can. I am stuck in Pokhara, Nepal. I came here to host a volleyball league. Our hotel where I stayed has been burnt.”

She recounted being in the hotel’s spa when protesters stormed the premises and said, “I was in the spa and people were running behind me with big sticks. As soon as I saved my life, I came out of the hotel. There is fire everywhere. They are not even leaving the tourists here.”

According to Gill, she and others took shelter in another hotel after escaping the flames. “We don’t know how long we will stay here in another hotel."

In another video which she shared on her Instagram story, she said she got in touch with the Indian Embassy in Nepal; however, didn't find a plausible solution. "The Indian embassy called and asked me to stay inside the hotel, we were inside the hotel but the protesters came inside and burned it down. Why would we go on the road in such a time? Please take some action," she said.

Gill also shared a series of Instagram stories that documented the destruction around her. In one, she wrote, "We have lost everything. We just want to get home safely. PLEASE HELP."

She described the moment of the attack and wrote, “All my friends were downstairs having dinner & I had just gone up to the first floor to ask about the spa coz I was just trying to distract myself & change my mood. I had barely sat down when I heard people screaming… They ran after me… they set the hotel on fire. I’m stuck here. Shaken. I just want to go home.”

Posting a video of the hotel engulfed in flames, Gill added, “That’s my hotel. I have no clothes and all my luggage was in the hotel and now it’s been burned down."

Gill had announced her role as the official presenter of the volleyball league in October 2024. The event was scheduled to begin on 30 September 2025 at Dashrath Stadium, Kathmandu.

Nepal is currently facing its most intense political crisis in recent years, with 19 reported dead and over 500 injured in a nationwide protest. The demonstrations began over a controversial social media ban and have since turned into a larger anti-government movement.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli resigned on September 9. The Nepal Army has taken over security operations across major regions, including Kathmandu and Pokhara.

As the crisis deepens, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs also issued a travel advisory for citizens in Nepal and activated emergency helplines.