Kathmandu: The Army was called out and a curfew imposed on parts of Kathmandu Friday after two people were killed and 30 injured as pro-monarchy protesters pelted stones, attacked the office of a political party, set fire to vehicles and looted shops.District authorities first imposed a curfew at 4:25 PM till 10 PM, later extending it until 7 AM on Saturday. Nobody was allowed to move about in certain areas.Sabin Maharjan, 29, from Kathmandu, died at a hospital after sustaining a bullet injury during the clash, authorities said.Suresh Rajak, a photojournalist with Avenues Television, died while shooting a video of the protest from a building in the Tinkune area, the site where monarchists clashed with security personnel and tried to break through security barriers.Rajak was on the top of the building when demonstrators set it ablaze after accusing police of launching tear gas from inside the structure, sources at the television channel said.Rajak went missing shortly after the fire started, according to an Avenues TV source.Later, police discovered a severely burned body, suspected to be of Rajak, on the fourth floor of the building.The official identification of the body is yet to be done, police said.About half of the people injured were police personnel, authorities said.During the clash, the protesters burnt a house, torched eight vehicles, attacked the office of CPN-Unified Socialists in Baneshwor, looted the Bhatbhateni Supermarket in Chabahil and vandalised the offices of Kantipur Television and Annapurna Post newspaper.The Kathmandu district administration announced the curfew between Shantinagar Bridge and Manohara River Bridge, including Koteshwor, Tinkune, the airport area, Baneshwor Chowk, and Gaushala.People were allowed to travel to the airport if they produced their tickets, officials said.The monarchists carrying former king Gyanendra Shah’s pictures and the national flag demonstrated in the Tinkune area, leading to clashes with police.Thousands of monarchists chanted slogans such as “Raja aau desh bachau” (May King come to save the Country), “Down with corrupt government”, and “We want monarchy back”, demanding the restoration of the monarchy in Nepal.The protesters tried to break the barricades set up to prevent clashes with the Socialist Forum, which also held demonstrations in the Bhrikutimandap area in favour of the republican system.Prime Minister K P Oli convened an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss the ongoing unrest in the country.A Ministry of Home Affairs statement condemned the vandalism and burning of public property and said the demonstrators were taking advantage of their freedom.”The organisers themselves are responsible for such acts of violence,” pointed out the ministry.It said the government was committed to bringing to justice those indulged in violation of laws.The police also detained several youths for defying restrictions when demonstrators attempted to move towards New Baneshwor, a restricted area.Nepal’s political parties through a Parliament declaration abolished the 240-year-old monarchy in 2008 and turned the erstwhile Hindu kingdom into a secular, federal, democratic republic.The monarchists have been demanding the restoration of the monarchy since the former king appealed for support in his video message telecast on Democracy Day (February 19).The pro-monarchy activists also held a rally on March 9 in support of former king Gyanendra Shah who landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport from Pokhara after visiting religious places in different parts of the country.Some supporters then displayed photographs of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s image alongside Gyanendra’s.Meanwhile, thousands of anti-monarchy supporters led by the Socialist Front gathered at Bhrikutimandap, chanting slogans like “Long live republican system”, “Take action against corrupt people”, and “Down with Monarchy”.The anti-monarchy front was joined by political parties such as the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) and CPN-Unified Socialist.CPN-Maoist Centre chief Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda, addressing a grand rally attended by thousands of people at Bhrikutimandap here, said the pro-monarchist forces should not consider the liberal attitude of Nepali people and political parties as their weakness.He said the former king was reduced to an ordinary citizen because of his past wrongdoings and asked Gyanendra not to repeat the same mistake so that he would lose everything.
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