Katmandú the Nepalese capital, has dawned this Saturday under the touch of the federal government after the two great demonstrations that were recorded on Friday at the same time -a In favor of the restoration of the monarchy and another in Current Republican System Support– and of the violent clashes between realistic support groups and the police forces, which led to disturbances and, above all, that caused at least two dead and dozens of injured. The two deceased They are a protester whose life could not be done after being urgently transferred to a hospital -a 29 -year -old identified as Sabin Maharjan -and a journalist, specifically a camera from a local television, Suresh Rajak, who died devoured by flames When the building from which he took images of the pro monarchical protest was burned, apparently by uncontrolled and very violent groups that support the former rey gyanendra.
The political tension has not stopped growing in Nepal in recent weeks, rising on Friday to the point of plunge the country of Himalayas in its worst political crisis of the last decade. The organizations that claim the return of the monarchy had summoned a new protest in Katmandu, after the successful concentration of March 9 at the main airport of the city that coincided with the return of Gyanendra after several weeks, as a demonstration of force to the Nepalese authorities, who since then have focused all their speech on the Impossibility of the throne being restored. And, in fact, the main political parties of the Nepal’s parliamentary arch conveyed a countermanifestation, which was also massive, which resulted in a clear exhibition of the deep division that the nation suffers today. “It is impossible for the monarchy to return. It is ridiculous to even think that something that is already dead and incinerated can return to life“said Ram Kumar Shrestha, one of the Maoist supporters in this countermanifestation, AP reports.
For their part, the realistic calls assured that the government did everything possible to prevent its concentration, which they qualified as peaceful. In fact, an extraordinary police deployment cordoned off from early in Friday the area to which promonarchists invited citizens to join. And, always according to the police version and information disseminated by Nepali newspapers, everything ended up getting out of control when some protesters uploaded to a white van crashed into one of the agents’ barricades of order and collided against several officers, who were injured. At that time, the chaos and the violence He took over the stage. Police responded against thousands of realistic protesters by launching tear gas and sprinkling them with water cannons. From there, important riots occurred in the neighborhoods of eastern Katmandu, with several damaged government buildings and incidents of as much gravity as the fire of the house that caused the aforementioned death of the journalist of Avenues TV.
The police spokesman specified that many of the injured have gunshot wounds and are receiving medical treatment in several Katmandu hospitals. Incidents are being investigated. And this Saturday they are producing arrestsamong them the Former Nepalí Army Captain Munindra Rajbhandari, a realistic fervent, with positions of participation in the violent incidents that took place in the Dyrite of Tinkune (Katmandu). The federal government has reported this Saturday at noon that at least 51 pro monarchical protesters have been arrested. And the news has generated some concern that the Durga Prasai police, a prominent Nepalese activist and entrepreneur, one of the key figures in recent times in the agitation of the movement in favor of the restoration of the throne, has generated some concern.
“We need the country to be monarchically again and the king returns, because political parties and the system have failed in the country“, Rajendra Bahadur Khati said, one of the participants in Friday’s pro -monarchy concentration, making a growing desire among the population, as it has been proven in the force exhibitions, increasingly massive, of the realistic groups for two years.” When the source is so polluted, the entire system has been rotted, “the same young man added.
Local media and analysts well known about the political situation Nepalí underline that the political class is increasingly concerned about the Strong discomfort in the country, plunged into an institutional instability that does not seem to have an end and with the growing disenchantment of the population with the current system by the galloping corruption that hits the ruling elite.
It was at the end of 2023 when marches began to claim the restoration of the crown, with tens of thousands of participants in districts on the outskirts of the capital, Katmandú, and in other cities of Nepal. Its supporters demand political reforms and the fall of the current government. But, above all, the Hindu state returnembodied in the king’s figure. Until the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, Gyanendra was the last Hindu sovereign in the world.
The throne and religion have become the two factors that galvanize the protest of many Nepali unhappy about the drift of the nation that recovered democracy in 2008 and approved A Constitution in 2015 that enshrines a federal and secular republic, with a political system that has fed a parliamentary fragmentation so extreme that governance makes it practically impossible.
Nepal has experienced up to 14 government changes in the 17 years after the abolition of the monarchy. Political instability has affected economic growth very negatively and has caused high migration rates among young people, an increase in corruption and a growing citizen discontent.
After one civil war Of more than a decade that caused 15,000 dead, King Gyanendra was incapable in 2008 of maintaining the support of his people and the support of political forces after making bulk mistakes as temporarily annulled by the Constitution and monopolizing quasidictatorial powers. Even so, he was overthrown in a peaceful and very civilized way. And a considerable part of the Nepalese are still seeing in the real figure to the Vishnú reincarnationone of the three main gods of Hinduism.
What happened this Friday, however, can be a brake on the aspirations of Gyanendra himself. Because this Saturday the ruling political class points to him directly for the wave of unleashed violence and still blame him for the two deaths. According to local newspapers, the Government already prepares the legal provisions to revoke the services – such as the security that corresponded as a former head of state – and deprive of certain services and assets to the overthrown monarch, who, despite the loss of the throne, has always continued to live in Katmandu. It even points to that The passport is going to be withdrawn To prevent him from leaving the country, which would mean the prelude to very serious measures against the old former sovereign. At this time, in the midst of not little confusion, some sources indicate, however, that the head of the Shah dynasty would no longer be in Nepal. The leader of the Maoist PCN center, Lehknath enteredone of the most belligerent political leaders this Saturday, has even demanded the “immediate arrest” of the former king.
The Katmandu metropolis has rushed to impose up to eight fines this Saturday, for a amount of 793,000 rupees, for garbage, damage to buildings and urban furniture and acts vandalism against fire trucks, directly responsible for the ex -monarch of the riots.
The leader of the Rastriya Prajatantra (RPP) party, the main one out political, Kamal thapahas expressed this Saturday his deep concern for the violent events of the last hours. In a press release, the acts of vandalism have condemned the death of two citizens. But he has also questioned the police response and has raised the possibility that what happened on Friday was the fruit of A plot to discredit the monarchical movementgiven the boom he has been taking in recent times.
The only certain thing is that in the known as a country of the millions of smiles right now a dramatic social fracture and a climate of socio -political tension rather than uncertain.