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Last Updated:March 31, 2025, 15:29 IST
Hundreds protested in Kathmandu for the return of monarchy and Hindu state religion. Clashes with police caused injuries and deaths. Nepal ended its monarchy in 2008.
There has been growing demand in recent months for former king Gyanendra Shah to be reinstated as king and Hinduism to be brought back as a state religion.
Should Nepal remain a secular and democratic nation? Sixteen years after the Himalayan nation got rid of monarchy and announced itself to become a secular republic, hundreds of protesters hit the streets in Kathmandu on Friday, demanding monarchy and Hindu state religion.
As the demand gained traction, an old video of Bollywood actor Manisha Koirala referring to Nepal as “only Hindu nation in the world" surfaced. Well, Koirala is not just an actor who spoke on Nepal for some reason, in fact, she has ties to the royal Nepal family and her family members have served as Prime Ministers and ministers in the government.
“We were the only Hindu nation in the world. Our best identity is that we were a Hindu nation. And in our country, there has never been a fight even about religion. There is no war, killing and no fight. We were a peaceful Hindu nation with no conflicts. Why was it removed? I was made to feel like it was all a conspiracy," Koirala, who appeared in several Bollywood movies as lead actor, was heard saying in the view.
What’s Happening In Nepal?
There has been growing demand in recent months for former king Gyanendra Shah to be reinstated as king and Hinduism to be brought back as a state religion. On Friday, thousands of Shah’s supporters had gathered in Kathmandu for a rally organised by an alliance of groups supporting the ex-monarch.
The rally was supposed to be peaceful but things changed when some protesters in a white pickup drove at a police barricade, colliding with several officers. Police responded by shooting tear gas shells and spraying the crowd with water cannons. A television cameraman was among two people killed in the clash while several protesters and police officers were injured.
The government imposed a curfew in the areas where the clashes happened in Kathmandu after the police in riot gear used tear gas, batons and water cannons against the protesters.
What Do Nepal People Want Monarchy Reinstated?
Royalist groups accuse the country’s major political parties of corruption and failed governance and say people are frustrated with politicians.
“We need the country to return to monarchy and the king to come back, because the political parties and system have failed in the country," said Rajendra Bahadur Khati, one of the participants at the pro-monarchy rally. “When the source is so polluted the entire system has gotten rotten."
While protests to bring back monarchy were underway, thousands of people gathered to support the present republican system of government for a counter rally. The rally participants were from the opposition parties led by the Maoists, a group that fought an armed rebellion from 1996-2006 to oust the monarchy.
“It is impossible for the monarchy to come back. It is ridiculous to even think that something that is already dead and cremated could come back to life," said Ram Kumar Shrestha, a Maoist supporter.
How Nepal Ended Monarchy
Gyanendra, 77, ascended to the throne in 2002 following the palace massacre that claimed the lives of his elder brother Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family. Initially, he served as the ceremonial head of state without executive or political authority until 2005, when he assumed absolute power, claiming it was necessary to defeat anti-monarchy Maoist rebels.
The king dissolved the government and parliament, imprisoned politicians and journalists, cut off communications, declared a state of emergency, and used the military to govern the country. These actions sparked massive street protests, compelling Gyanendra to relinquish power to a multi-party government. The new government signed a peace agreement with the Maoists, ending a decade-long civil war that resulted in thousands of deaths.
In 2008, Gyanendra abdicated after parliament voted to abolish Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, transforming the nation into a secular republic.
Location : First Published:March 31, 2025, 15:28 IST
News world Manisha Koirala’s Old Video On Nepal’s Hindu Status Resurfaces As Monarchy Debate Heats Up
