Nepal’s ex-Home Minister arrested during protest

Nepal’s former home minister Kamal Thapa and about half a dozen others were arrested after they tried to enter a restricted area during a pro-monarchy protest in Kathmandu on Sunday, the police said.

To reinstate monarchy and establish Nepal as a Hindu state, the pro-monarchy groups, including the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and RPP Nepal, protested at Narayan Chaur here on the fourth day of the agitation.

Rajendra Lingden, the RPP president and a staunch supporter of the monarchy, was leading the protest when agitators tried to break the security cordon and move towards Baluwatar, the prime minister's official residence, and clashed with the police, Kathmandu Valley Police spokesperson Apil Bohora said.

Bohara said Thapa and others were arrested for violating the restricted zone around the Narayanhiti Palace Museum area. Around 1,200 pro-monarchy supporters, chanting slogans against the republican system and in favour of monarchy, participated in the protest, Bohara said.