KATHMANDU, MAY 30
In response to growing protests by pro-monarchists attempting to infiltrate their agenda, the Kathmandu District Administration Office (KDAO) has declared the road in front of Narayanhiti Palace a 'prohibited area' and barred people from gathering and holding events there.
Chief District Officer Rishi Ram Tiwari issued a notice on Friday evening prohibiting gatherings, processions, and other demonstrations of more than five people on the road from Keshar Mahal to Jaynepal turning, as well as the road from Mahendra Statue to the south gate of Narayanhiti Palace, from tomorrow, (May 31) to 7 June.
The notice is said to have been issued after various royalist parties and groups declared an 'indefinite' movement.
The only political party with a royalist agenda, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP), has been holding various demonstrations in Kathmandu valley for a few months.
A demonstration organised by RPP in Tinkune on March 28 claimed the lives of two people, including a photojournalist, Suresjh Rajak.
Rajak was burned to death while reporting from a building that was alight by protesters during a violent demonstration in Tinkune.
Recently, the government filed a chargesheet against 61 people in relation to the Tinkune incident at Kathmandu District Court, demanding various punishments for several crimes such as murder, sedition among others.
Monarchists have once again demonstrated in support of agendas such as monarchy restoration, Hindu statehood, and the abolition of the federal system.
On Thursday, they staged a protest in the Ratnapark area, while it continued today in the Maitighar-Babarmahal area.
