Nepal protesters demanding restoration of monarchy, return to Hindu state, clash with police

“We love our king and country more than our lives. Bring back the monarchy. Abolish the republic,” protesters chanted near government buildings in the centre of the capital as they blew conch shells.

Police spokesman Nawaraj Adhikari said that police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators after they broke into a restricted area.

Support has been brewing for the restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu state as dissatisfaction grows in the Himalayan country over political instability, corruption and slow economic development.

The party had submitted a 40-point memorandum to the prime minister’s office in February, which also included demands to control corruption and ensure good governance.

“These beasts have ruined our nation with corruption and lawlessness,” said Tanka Prasad Khatiwada, 80, who came from eastern Nepal to join the protest.

“To save our identity and culture, there is no other way than restoring the monarchy.”

Gyanendra Shah, 76, the last king of Nepal, has largely refrained from public comment on the country’s fractious politics and calls for the monarchy’s restoration.

Shah was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a massacre that wiped out most of the royal family.

Weeks of street protests in 2006 forced Gyanendra to abandon his authoritarian rule and cede power back to Parliament. Two years later, Parliament voted to abolish the centuries-old monarchy.

Since then, Gyanendra has been living as a private citizen with no power or state protection. He still has some support, but little chance of returning to power.

Royalist groups accuse the country’s major political parties of corruption and failed governance and say people are frustrated with politicians. Nepal has had 13 governments since the monarchy was abolished.