Hundreds of pro-monarchy protesters clashed with security forces on Monday during a march to central administrative secretariat Singha Durbar in Kathmandu to pay tribute to Nepal’s late King Prithvi Narayan Shah on his 299th birthday. The clashes erupted when the riot police stopped the pro-monarchy protesters as they headed toward the statue of the late King in front of Singha Durbar to place the garlands on it as a restricted area, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Some protesters were injured in the clashes, the newspaper said. The protesters, carrying the national flag and the photos of Prithvi Narayan Shah, called for the establishment of a Hindu nation and a monarchy.
After the success of the 2006 People’s Movement, which saw the abolition of its 240-year-old monarchy, Nepal was declared a secular state in 2008. In the meantime, Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli paid tribute to the late King and recalled the special contribution made by the unifier of modern Nepal.
“The contributions made by King Prithvi Narayan Shah to the unification of Nepal is beyond comparison. Today, on the occasion of his 299th birth anniversary, I recall his special contributions and pay him respect,” Oli tweeted. Prithvi Narayan Shah was the King of Gorkha when he began the national unification campaign in 1745. He is credited for Nepal’s unification.
Nepal’s main Opposition party Nepali Congress has in the past accused the Oli government of tacitly supporting pro-monarchy rallies that have recently surfaced in different parts of the country, demanding reinstatement of constitutional monarchy. Earlier this month, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) staged an anti-government rally in the national capital, demanding the restoration of constitutional monarchy and Hindu state in Nepal.