Kathmandu, July 8 -- Maitighar Mandala, the bustling roundabout in the heart of the federal capital, has transformed into a stage of collective grief and relentless hope.

For thousands of Nepalis who feel failed by the state, Maitighar is now the country's most recognisable stage for public dissent, where people from the eastern plains to the far western hills gather with banners, petitions and fading hope, believing that if their voices reach anywhere, they will be heard here.

Just days ago, leaders of the 'Save Susta' campaign stood on the asphalt, nursing broken spirits. These defenders of the national border spoke of the irony of becoming 'non-citizens' on their own soil. "Those who protected the land are now landless and stateless,...