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New York Times
28-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Protests Demanding Restoration of Monarchy in Nepal Turn Deadly
At least two people were killed and dozens of others were injured in Nepal on Friday as protesters calling for the restoration of the monarchy in the Himalayan nation clashed with security forces, officials said. The protesters are calling for the return of Gyanendra Shah, the last royal ruler of Nepal before the monarchy was dissolved in 2008 in favor of a secular republic. They are demanding a constitutional monarchy that declares Nepal a parliamentary democracy with a Hindu identity. The two dead were identified as a protester and a television journalist, according to Dinesh Kumar Acharya, a spokesman for the Nepali police. The protester died of bullet wounds, while the journalist died after protesters set fire to a building from which he was filming, Mr. Acharya added. He said that at least 30 civilians and 40 police personnel were among the injured. The government declared a curfew in large parts of the capital city, Kathmandu, and deployed the army to help restore order. A pro-monarchist protester, hurling stones at police officers on Friday. Credit... Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press Monarchists have begun a fresh wave of protests in recent months, accusing established political parties, including that of Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli, of being corrupt and of failing to lead the country out of poverty and political chaos. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Two dead as Nepal police use tear gas, sticks to break up pro-monarchy rally
By Gopal Sharma KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepali riot police lobbed tear gas, fired water cannon and used rattan sticks on Friday to break up a protest rally demanding the restoration of constitutional monarchy, and at least two people were killed in the violence, police said. Authorities said they had to use force to stop thousands of protesters breaking into an area where demonstrations and protest rallies are banned, and they later imposed a curfew in the affected area to stem further escalation of the violence. The two people killed included one of the protesters and a journalist who was covering the rally, a police spokesman, Dinesh Kumar Acharya, told Reuters. Avenues TV said one of its journalists had died when a house he was in was set ablaze. Another Nepal police spokesman, Shekhar Khanal, said protesters had set fire to a private house and a vehicle, adding that 17 people including three police personnel were injured. Three protesters are in police custody, he said. A separate anti-monarchy rally also took place in the Nepali capital on Friday but passed peacefully. A specially elected assembly scrapped the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, under an accord that ended a Maoist insurgency which had killed 17,000 people in 1996-2006 and turned Nepal into a secular, federal republic from a Hindu kingdom. The last king of the Himalayan nation, 77-year-old Gyanendra, has lived with his family in a private house in Kathmandu as a commoner since being toppled. 'UNRULY' CROWD Friday's trouble erupted when thousands of demonstrators, some carrying Nepal's national flag, hurled stones and tried to break a barricade in order to march towards parliament building in central Kathmandu. One police official, Kumar Neupane, said police fired in the air to drive away the "unruly" crowd. A Ministry of Home statement said protesters had vandalised private property, hospital, a political party office, vehicles, a media house and a shopping mall. Ashok Kumar Bhandari, a spokesman for the Kathmandu district administration, said the curfew declared in the affected area was "for a short period of time, till 10 pm (1615 GMT) but can be extended depending on what turn the situation takes". Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, has seen the formation of 14 governments in the 16 years since the abolition of the monarchy. The political instability has stymied economic growth, prompting millions of young people to seek work abroad, mainly in the oil-rich Middle East, South Korea and Malaysia. Public frustration has been rising over the failure of successive governments to deliver on commitments to develop the economy, which remains reliant on aid and tourism. Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks, including Mount Everest.
Reuters
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Two dead as Nepal police use tear gas, sticks to break up pro-monarchy rally
Summary Two killed during protest rally, including a journalist Police say 17 injured, property damaged during rally Protesters are demanding restoration of monarchy Nepal abolished its monarchy nearly 17 years ago KATHMANDU, March 28 (Reuters) - Nepali riot police lobbed tear gas, fired water cannon and used rattan sticks on Friday to break up a protest rally demanding the restoration of constitutional monarchy, and at least two people were killed in the violence, police said. Authorities said they had to use force to stop thousands of protesters breaking into an area where demonstrations and protest rallies are banned, and they later imposed a curfew in the affected area to stem further escalation of the violence. The two people killed included one of the protesters and a journalist who was covering the rally, a police spokesman, Dinesh Kumar Acharya, told Reuters. Avenues TV said one of its journalists had died when a house he was in was set ablaze. Another Nepal police spokesman, Shekhar Khanal, said protesters had set fire to a private house and a vehicle, adding that 17 people including three police personnel were injured. Three protesters are in police custody, he said. A separate anti-monarchy rally also took place in the Nepali capital on Friday but passed peacefully. A specially elected assembly scrapped the 239-year-old monarchy in 2008, under an accord that ended a Maoist insurgency which had killed 17,000 people in 1996-2006 and turned Nepal into a secular, federal republic from a Hindu kingdom. The last king of the Himalayan nation, 77-year-old Gyanendra, has lived with his family in a private house in Kathmandu as a commoner since being toppled. 'UNRULY' CROWD Friday's trouble erupted when thousands of demonstrators, some carrying Nepal's national flag, hurled stones and tried to break a barricade in order to march towards parliament building in central Kathmandu. One police official, Kumar Neupane, said police fired in the air to drive away the "unruly" crowd. A Ministry of Home statement said protesters had vandalised private property, hospital, a political party office, vehicles, a media house and a shopping mall. Ashok Kumar Bhandari, a spokesman for the Kathmandu district administration, said the curfew declared in the affected area was "for a short period of time, till 10 pm (1615 GMT) but can be extended depending on what turn the situation takes". Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, has seen the formation of 14 governments in the 16 years since the abolition of the monarchy. The political instability has stymied economic growth, prompting millions of young people to seek work abroad, mainly in the oil-rich Middle East, South Korea and Malaysia. Public frustration has been rising over the failure of successive governments to deliver on commitments to develop the economy, which remains reliant on aid and tourism. Nepal is home to eight of the world's 14 highest peaks, including Mount Everest.
