A television cameraman was among two people killed on Friday in clashes between supporters of Nepal's former king and police at a rally in the capital calling for the restoration of the abolished monarchy in the Himalayan state.
Several protesters and police were injured in the clashes. The Interior Ministry said a wounded protester died in hospital while being treated, and a local television station reported the death of one of its employees, who died when the building from which he was reporting was set on fire.
Authorities imposed a curfew in areas of Kathmandu where clashes occurred after police used tear gas, batons and water cannons against protesters.
Thousands of supporters of former King Gyanendra Shah gathered on the eastern outskirts of Kathmandu for a rally organised by a coalition of groups supporting the ex-monarch.
The event, held at an open area near the airport, was intended to be peaceful, but unrest broke out after several protesters in a white pickup truck drove into a police cordon, clashing with several law enforcement officers.
Police were forced to use tear gas and water cannons against the crowd.
On the other side of the capital, thousands of people who support the existing republican system also held a counter-rally on Friday. The participants represented opposition parties, including the Maoists, who waged an armed insurgency from 1996 to 2006 to overthrow the monarchy.
“The return of the monarchy is impossible. It is even ridiculous to think that any of those who have already left… can come back to life,” said Maoist supporter Ram Kumar Shrestha.
In recent times, there has been growing interest in restoring the power of the former king and bringing Hinduism back as the state religion.
Royalist groups accuse the country's main political parties of corruption and mismanagement, saying people are disillusioned with the performance of politicians.
“We need to return the country to monarchy and bring back the king as the political parties and the system in the country have collapsed,” said rally participant Rajendra Bahadur Khati.
“When the source is so polluted, the whole system begins to rot.”
Mass street protests in 2006 forced Gyanendra to abandon his authoritarian rule, and two years later parliament voted to abolish the monarchy.
Gyanendra, who left the royal palace to live as a commoner, has not commented on calls for the restoration of the monarchy
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
