The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP)—the only party in the parliament advocating for a return to a constitutional monarchy—announced on Thursday that it will stage a protest in a restricted area on Sunday, April 20. The decision was made during a meeting of the party's Central Executive Committee.
The protest is being framed as a direct response to the continued detention of two senior RPP leaders: Rabindra Mishra, senior vice chair, and Dhawal Sumsher Rana, the party’s general secretary. Both remain in custody over their alleged roles in inciting violence during the March 28 demonstration, which had been supported by the RPP but led by controversial ‘royalist’ figure Durga Prasai.
On April 8, the party held a relatively peaceful programme in Balkhu.
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According to RPP spokesperson Mohan Kumar Shrestha, the party aims to invite mass arrests by entering a prohibited zone as a form of civil disobedience. “As the government has not released our leaders, we have decided to demonstrate in a restricted area,” Shrestha said, although the party has yet to finalize the exact protest site.
The move comes amid heightened political tensions following the March 28 protest, which spiraled into violent clashes. Pro-monarchy supporters clashed with security forces while attempting to breach into Naya Baneshwor, a designated no-protest zone near the federal parliament.
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That day also saw a counter-demonstration by pro-republican forces, including the Socialist Front—a coalition of the CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (Unified Socialist), and the Netra Bikram Chand ‘Biplab’-led Nepal Communist Party—who held rallies at Pradarshani Marg. The overlapping protests added to the volatile atmosphere.
The March 28 protest turned deadly. Sabin Maharjan, a resident of Kirtipur, died after being struck by a bullet, while Suresh Rajak, a cameraman for Avenues Television, was killed in a fire set by protesters at a building in Tinkune. Rajak, who was filming from inside the building, was unable to escape the flames. Protesters alleged that the building had been used by police to fire tear gas.
Footage circulating widely on social media showed widespread arson, looting, and vandalism. Alleged protesters were seen throwing stones at Bhatbhateni Supermarket in Koteshwor and looting goods. The party office of the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the Herbs Production and Processing Company Ltd. buildings in Jadibuti were also set ablaze. Several vehicles and media offices were targeted, prompting the authorities to impose a curfew in the area.
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Dozens of individuals have been arrested so far for their involvement in the violence, including protest leader Durga Prasai.
Despite the violence of the previous demonstration, Shrestha insisted that Sunday’s protest would be peaceful: “The authorities can arrest us while we are present there. We won’t resist.”
The RPP’s planned protest will take place amid ongoing restrictions imposed by the Kathmandu District Administration Office (DAO). Effective March 9, a two-month prohibitory order bars protests in sensitive locations including Singha Durbar, the Supreme Court, the Office of the Auditor General, the President’s official residence in Maharajgunj, and the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar, among others. Gatherings of five or more people remain prohibited in these areas.
Notably, the ruling CPN-UML, led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, plans to stage a rally on Thursday, April 24, to mark Loktantra Day—the anniversary of the 2006 people’s movement that forced then-King Gyanendra to relinquish power.
With both monarchist and republican forces mobilizing within days of each other, Kathmandu braces for another politically charged and potentially volatile week.
