Durga Prasain under house arrest

Security forces have put Durga Prasain, a medical entrepreneur turned monarchist, under house arrest to prevent him from leading the protests.

In a show of strength, Prasain on Thursday organized a mass meeting in Balkhu.

In the meantime, supporters of Prasain clashed with security personnel while they were attempting to march toward Singhadurbar to press for the restoration of monarchy and Nepal as a Hindu state. 

This came after clashes between the supporters of Yuwa Sangh, the youth wing of the CPN-UML, and Prasain’s supporters.

Immediately after Prasain’s address in Balkhu where he told supporters to picket Singhadurbar and thrash leaders of major political leaders, police fired teargas canisters and water cannons at the supporters marching toward Singhadurbar, resulting in minor injuries on both sides.

Prasain has been courting controversy for making objectionable comments in violation of the law of the land.

Recently, he organized a program by playing Nepal’s monarchy-era national anthem and undermining the republican anthem, apparently in violation of the Constitution of Nepal 2015.

Section 15 of the Procedure for Use of the National Flag and National Anthem (First Amendment), 2076 has prohibited the use of the national anthem in an insulting and inappropriate manner, whereas Section 17 of the procedure has assigned the responsibility of monitoring and regulating it to the Chief District Officer.

Also, Prasain has made remarks targeting a specific community. In many interviews, he has urged people to join his campaign, promising that individual bank loans up to Rs 2m will be written off on the night the republican order becomes history.