Fresh pro-monarchy rally turns violent in Nepal, resulting in casualties Premium

Nepal faces unrest as pro-monarchist rallies clash with security forces, reigniting debate over the monarchy's role in governance.

In 2005, then-King Gyanendra Shah, after assuming absolute power in a royal-military coup, mobilised Nepal Army vehicles on the streets of Kathmandu to enforce his rule with an iron fist.

Two decades later, on Friday (March 28, 2025) evening, Army vehicles rolled through parts of Kathmandu again—but this time, the government deployed them to restore order after a protest by supporters of the same Gyanendra turned violent.

The government imposed a curfew after clashes between protesters demanding the restoration of the monarchy and security forces left two people dead and scores of others injured. The curfew was lifted on Saturday morning at seven.

Friday’s protest was organised jointly by the royalist party Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), which is the fifth-largest force in the Nepali Parliament, and another loose group of people advocating for the monarchy’s restoration, which was abolished in 2008.

The gathering near the international airport in eastern Kathmandu was initially announced as a peaceful rally. However, it turned violent when protesters broke through a police barricade and pelted stones at security personnel. In response, the police fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and used water cannons. Protesters also vandalised private buildings, set a house on fire, and attacked media houses.

According to the police, a video journalist died in a fire after being trapped in a building set alight by protesters. Another person, a protester, was killed in clashes.

Nepal has seen a fresh wave of pro-monarchist movements in recent months, with supporters accusing the country’s political parties of corruption, ineptitude, and failure to deliver on their promises.