30 people were injured including policemen in a clash in Kathmandu demanding the restoration of monarchy and claim as a ‘Hindu state’.
Thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king came together to march on the streets of Kathmandu on Thursday to demand the restoration of the monarchy and the country’s former status as a Hindu state. However, the demonstrators were stopped by riot police using batons and tear gas.
The protesters were divided into groups and were assembled on the outskirts of Kathmandu and attempted to make their way into the city centre while holding the national flag and shouting slogans in support of the late King Gyanendra.
Police blocked the march using water cannons, tear gas and bamboo batons.
Nearly 30 people from two political factions including five policemen, were injured in the clash.
Two political groups, the Youth Organisation of Nepal (YON), affiliated with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Lenin) [CPN UML], and supporters of the pro-monarchy group Durga Prasai clashed during anti-government rallies.
Protesters, at least 24 of them and five police officers were injured in the clashes.
YON and the pro-monarchist Durga Prasai Group proclaimed separate protests against the government in Kathmandu on Thursday.
The Durga Prasai group, whose first target was the government and second the CPN-UML affiliated YON, screamed slogans and demanded the restoration of a Hindu state in Nepal.
According to YON demonstrators, their main slogans were to topple the current coalition government led by Prachanda and end corruption.
The two groups also targeted each other and brought tens of thousands of people to the streets. The security of the city was doubled with the deployment of thousands of riot police.
Due to the protests organised by the two opposing groups, traffic in the areas was interrupted throughout the day.
Cadres belonging to YON staged a march in the Tinkune area near Tribhuvan International Airport, while the Durga Prasai group staged a demonstration in the Balkhu area on the outskirts of Kathmandu.
The protesters tried to enter the restricted area in Balkh, holding cannons, said the eyewitnesses. The police fired tear gas, batons and water cannons to disperse the rioters while groups threw stones at each other.
Both groups announced plans to hold a protest in Maitighar Mandala near the Prime Minister and Parliament House after the government imposed a month-long curfew in the area; they changed the location of their agitation.
Officials said the government had mobilised around 10,000 security personnel to avert clashes between the two groups and maintain law and order.
While the crowd was going out of hands, chants such as “We love our king and country more than our lives. Bring back the monarchy. Abolish the republic,” echoed on the streets of Kathmandu.
Kathmandu’s Political Dilemma with Monarchy
Thousands of supporters of the former king coalesced in Kathmandu from across the nation to call for the restoration of the monarchy, which was dissolved in 2008 amid accusations of corruption and poor governance.
After weeks of protests in 2006, King Gyanendra abdicated his authoritarian rule and ushered in democracy.
Two years later, parliament voted to abrogate the monarchy and declared Nepal a republic, with a president as the head of state.
Since then, King Gyanendra has lived as a private citizen without any power or protection from the state. He still has support among the people, but there is little chance of him returning to power.
In the latest March, demonstrators also called for Nepal to revert to a Hindu state, responding to a 2007 declaration by the interim Constitution that the Himalayan nation is a secular state.
The clash regarding bringing the monarchy back and operating as a secular state, Nepal has displayed several protests in the past. According to a Reuters report dated back in April 2015, Maoist leader Dinanath Sharma commented on the issue, saying, “The strike is to exert pressure on the government that has not listened to our demands in negotiations”.
