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News18
7 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Nepal's Former Home Minister Among Several Arrested During Pro-Monarchy Protest
Last Updated: Nepal's former Home Minister Kamal Thapa and several others were arrested for trying to enter a restricted area during pro-monarchy protests in Kathmandu. Nepal's former Home Minister Kamal Thapa and several others were arrested for trying to enter a restricted area during pro-monarchy protests in Kathmandu on Sunday, according to police. Pro-monarchy groups were protesting at the Narayan Chaur on the fourth day of the agitation. The agitation was aimed at reinstating monarchy in Nepal and establishing it as a Hindu state. Nepal's authorities on Friday had banned protests and public gatherings around the Narayanhiti Palace area in the heart of Kathmandu amid demonstrations. Rajendra Lingden, president of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and a strong pro-monarchy advocate, was leading the protest when demonstrators attempted to breach the security barricade and march toward Baluwatar, the official residence of the prime minister, leading to clashes with police, according to Kathmandu Valley Police spokesperson Apil Bohora. कमल थापालाइ घिसार्दै प्रहरीले नियन्त्रणमा लिएकाे छ ।भिडियाेः सामाजिक सञ्जाल — Prakash Timalsina (@prakashujyalo) June 1, 2025 Thapa, the chairman of RPP-Nepal and former Nepalese home minister, was detained in the Narayan Chaur area for violating the restricted zone order declared around the Narayanhiti Palace Museum area, The Kathmandu Post reported citing police. The pro-monarchist groups, including the RPP and RPP-Nepal, had launched Kathmandu-centred protest programmes from May 29 with the objectives of reinstatement of the monarchy and establishment of a Hindu state in Nepal. The protests had been peaceful until today. About 1,200 pro-monarchy supporters, chanting slogans against the republican system and in favour of monarchy, participated in the protest, Bohara said. They carried photographs of former king Gyanendra Shah and chanted slogans against the Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli-led government. (with agency inputs) First Published:
The Print
21-04-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Nepal: RPP Leaders briefly detained during protest in restricted area amid internal discord
The demonstration took place in New Baneshwar but drew a much lower turnout than expected by organisers. Kathmandu [Nepal], April 21 (ANI): A group of Nepal's Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leaders, including party chair Rajendra Lingden, were briefly detained by police on Sunday after attempting to protest within a restricted area in Kathmandu, as the party demanded the reinstatement of the monarchy and declaration of Nepal as a Hindu state, the Kathmandu Post reported. The protest came at a time of growing disagreement within the RPP over whether to hold demonstrations in restricted zones. The event was marked by disorganisation from the beginning. Several senior party leaders–including chair Lingden, vice-chair Buddhiman Tamang, and chief whip Gyan Bahadur Shahi–were detained before even reaching the designated protest site. Police said the leaders were taken into custody for chanting slogans and distributing flyers within Singha Durbar, the central government secretariat. They were released after a few hours. RPP, currently the fifth-largest party in the House of Representatives, had called the demonstration to push for the release of its senior vice-chairman Rabindra Mishra and General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana, both of whom were arrested following a violent protest at Tinkune on March 28. The party's protest on Sunday also called for a judicial investigation into the March unrest. According to Kathmandu Police Range Spokesperson Superintendent Apil Raj Bohara, the leaders were detained after they began distributing flyers and chanting slogans inside the restricted area. Police had already issued a warning through the Ministry of Home Affairs a day earlier, cautioning the party against carrying out protests in restricted zones of the Capital and threatening legal action against anyone violating the law or inciting disorder. On Sunday morning, RPP lawmakers had gathered at Singha Durbar under the pretext of holding a parliamentary party meeting. After the meeting concluded, Lingden and his team began demonstrating inside the premises by holding pamphlets and calling for a probe into the March 28 incident. Police then intervened and detained the group before they could proceed to New Baneshwar. The detained leaders were taken to the Kathmandu Police Range office in Bhadrakali. Speaking to reporters after his release, Lingden said he was not surprised by the arrest, describing the government's actions as authoritarian. 'We are not shocked by this; we are all prepared to be arrested,' Lingden said. The protest appeared to suffer from internal rifts within the RPP, with several leaders reportedly divided over the strategy. Some questioned the decision to protest in Kathmandu's restricted zones while other leaders had planned demonstrations in their own districts scheduled for Tuesday. 'In such a way, how can our movement be effective? It seems some leaders are intent on weakening the movement rather than strengthening it,' said a party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity. The arrest of General Secretary Rana, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, has raised further concerns among party members. RPP leaders have reportedly appealed to the government through Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba to consider Rana's medical condition and release him on humanitarian grounds. Despite such efforts, Rana has not yet been freed. Party Vice-president Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan stated that attempts were underway to secure the release of both Mishra and Rana, not just through Deuba but also by reaching out to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. The RPP has continued its agitation, citing unresolved questions around the March 28 protest at Tinkune. That protest, organised by a different pro-monarchy group led by Panchayat-era politician Nabaraj Subedi, turned violent, resulting in two deaths and over 120 injuries. The RPP had lent its support to the Subedi-led protest, aligning on the common goal of restoring the monarchy. Following the unrest, Rabindra Mishra and Dhawal Shumsher Rana were taken into custody, along with Durga Prasai, who was described as the 'field commander' of the demonstration. Subedi has since been placed under house arrest by the government. Amid ongoing tensions, a delegation of senior RPP leaders met former king Gyanendra Shah at his residence, Nirmal Niwas, on Friday. Party insiders said the meeting lasted nearly two hours but declined to disclose specific details. Those present included leaders such as Pashupati Shamsher Rana, Prakash Chandra Lohani, Buddhiman Tamang, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, Bikram Pandey, and party spokesperson Gyan Bahadur Shahi. 'We are pro-monarch people and we meet the former king on a regular basis,' said Shahi. Tamang added, 'There was nothing specific to share about our meeting with him on Friday.' However, one party member said the discussion covered issues including the March 28 violence and allegations that businessman Durga Prasai had been appointed as the commander of the protest. According to a person familiar with the meeting, the former king expressed deep concern over the casualties and damage caused by the unrest. He reiterated his stance that protests should remain peaceful, saying, 'The police are our brothers; stones should not be thrown at them.' The former monarch denied appointing Prasai as the commander of the demonstration, claiming he had not even met Prasai since an event held at Mechi Bridge in Jhapa several years ago. On March 27, a day before the protest, Prasai's vehicle was reportedly seen leaving Nirmal Niwas. However, RPP leaders said that Prasai had only met an aide to the king, not Gyanendra Shah himself, the Kathmandu Post reported. Furthermore, the former king reportedly denied designating Nabaraj Subedi as the coordinator of the so-called Joint People's Movement. Subedi, who remains under house arrest, also denied having any recent contact with the former monarch. 'It has been more than six months since I met the former king,' Subedi told the Post, clarifying that he was approached by other royalist leaders to lead the protest in the absence of a consensus candidate. 'The former king has no role in it,' he added. Despite the lack of consensus within the party and the complications surrounding its detained leaders, the RPP continues to press forward with its demand to reinstate Nepal's monarchy and establish a Hindu state, maintaining that the events of March 28 deserve thorough investigation and accountability. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Times of Oman
20-04-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Nepali royalists announce to break into restricted zone near parliament, call for protest in Kathmandu
Kathmandu: Nepal's royalist party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has announced to break into the restricted zone near the parliament as it calls for a protest on Sunday afternoon. The RPP is staging a protest demanding the reinstatement of the monarchy and the release of their party leaders. "We are ready to be arrested by staging a demonstration in the restricted area. Rajendra Lingden is ready to be jailed," the party president Rajendra Lingden confirmed to ANI over the phone. The party is also planning to hold protest assemblies in all 77 districts on April 22. Last week, the party president during the party's Executive Committee meeting had accused the government of infringing on citizens' fundamental rights by arbitrarily designating prohibited areas. "We are being pushed into a corner. That's why we've decided to protest in restricted zones," said Lingden. The RPP has also decided to wage a legal and political struggle for the unconditional release of party leaders Rabindra Mishra and Dhawal Shumsher Rana. Mishra and Rana were arrested following a deadly violence on March 28, for inciting the mob. The violence had claimed the lives of two people, injuring over 100, as the capital witnessed arson and vandalism. As the fifth largest party in the Nepali parliament, now in opposition, has announced that it will breach the restricted zone. The Ministry of Home Affairs has also issued a warning. "Legal action would be taken against those violating the law or inciting public disorder," the ministry said in the warning released on Saturday night. "Any activity that encourages the violation of the constitution or existing laws or spreads anarchy in society would not be tolerated," the ministry warned. Along with this, it urged all individuals to refrain from 'anarchic, provocative, or illegal acts' that could incite violence. The government has designated areas surrounding the federal parliament building at New Baneshwar, among various other places in Kathmandu, as restricted zones. The RPP has not only planned to stage a show of strength at Bijulibazar, near the parliament building, but has also announced to breach the restriction at Baneshwar. The party, which has been demanding the reinstatement of a constitutional monarchy and the establishment of Nepal as a Hindu state, staged a protest assembly at Balkhu as designated by the government on April 8. Republicans of the present time, whereas the public will be the sovereign, the King will be a parental institution, a directly elected Prime Minister, a sovereign Hindu state, federal governments replaced with powerful local bodies and a strong central government." Formed in the 1990s after the lifting of the ban on the formation of political parties by the then-monarchical system, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) has since then served as a force always supporting the Kingship. It has also been taking part in periodic elections and presenting its demands forth. In 2008, right after the overthrow of the monarchy rule in Nepal, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) had secured 8 seats in the then Constituent Assembly out of the 575 seated strong parliament. In the 2013 election, it was able to secure 13 seats, while in the year 2017 it fell to 1 seat, and it bounced back in the election of 2022 with 14 seats. The party, since its inception, has been supporting the Hindu State and the Kingship as interdependent in the tiny nation buffered between two giants, India and China. The Himalayan Nation of Nepal has a population of 30.55 million, and has a Hindu population of 81.19% as per the census of 2022. The Monarch of the Himalayan Nation, which follows the lineage of the Shah dynasty, was revered as an incarnation of the Hindu god Bishnu. With the abolishment of the monarchy, it got limited to a very small group, which is now again reemerging.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Nepal royalists seek return of king
Nearly two decades since Nepal became a secular republic, a surge of pro-monarchy protests have swept the Himalayan nation, fuelled by economic despair and disillusionment with current leaders. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets last month in a royalist rally that turned violent, with two people killed and more than 100 arrested. It was one of the latest in a wave of protests demanding the restoration of the monarchy, which has grown in tandem with popular dissatisfaction over political instability, corruption and lacklustre economic development. The Hindu-majority nation became a secular republic in 2008 after parliament abolished the monarchy in a peace deal to end a decade-long civil war in which more than 16,000 people died. Rajendra Lingden, chairperson of the royalist Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), Nepal's fifth-largest party, said the king is linked with national identity and pride. "We do not seek monarchy as a ruling institution, but rather as a guardian that safeguards national interests and prevents foreign interference," Lingden told AFP. In 2017, RPP won a single seat in parliament. Then in the last election in 2022, their royalist and pro-Hindu agenda gained them 14 seats. "The country faces instability, prices are high, people are jobless, and there is a lack of education and healthcare facilities", said Rajindra Kunwar, 43, a teacher who joined a royalist demonstration last month. "That's why we need the king back." - 'Outdated concept' - Former king Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah, 77, was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother king Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a palace massacre that wiped out most of the royal family. His coronation took place as the Maoist insurgency raged in far-flung corners of Nepal. Shah suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament in 2005, triggering a democratic uprising in which the Maoists sided with Nepal's political establishment to orchestrate huge street protests. That eventually precipitated the end of the conflict, with parliament voting in 2008 to abolish Nepal's 240-year-old Hindu monarchy. "I have assisted in and respected the verdict of the people," Shah said in a short address before leaving his palace, adding that he "will not leave this country" and go into exile. As he departed, many gathered to cheer the monarchy's end, while a few royalists wept. Mainstream politicians have dismissed a return to the past. "Monarchy is a failed and outdated concept," said Rajaram Bartaula, chief whip of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), which governs in a coalition with the Nepali Congress Party. "Conscious Nepalis of the 21st century will not accept the return of the monarchy," he added. The World Bank notes that impoverished Nepal faces multiple challenges. But it also said this month that real GDP grew by 4.9 percent in the first half of the 2025 financial year -- up from 4.3 percent in the same period a year earlier -- primarily due to a "pickup in agricultural and industrial sectors". - 'Save the nation' - The deposed king had largely refrained from commenting on Nepal's fractious politics -- but in the last few months, he made several public appearances, mainly visiting religious sites with supporters. "It is now time," the former king said in a statement on the eve of national democracy day in February before embarking on a tour of several districts. "If we wish to save our nation and maintain national unity, I call on all countrymen to support us for Nepal's prosperity and progress." His arrival in Kathmandu airport last month drew thousands of supporters, who waved the national flag and chanted: "Come king, save the nation". Political analyst Hari Sharma said the royalists were seizing an opportunity as dissatisfaction grows among many ordinary Nepalis. "The royalists have found the chance to articulate their demands and frustrations, especially in a global climate where right-wing conservative ideas are gaining traction," Hari Sharma said. str/pm/pjm/cms/dhc
