Nepal: RPP Leaders briefly detained during protest in restricted area amid internal discord

Kathmandu [Nepal], April 21 (ANI): A group of Nepal's Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) leaders, including party chair Rajendra Lingden, were briefly detained by police on Sunday after attempting to protest within a restricted area in Kathmandu, as the party demanded the reinstatement of the monarchy and declaration of Nepal as a Hindu state, the Kathmandu Post reported.
The demonstration took place in New Baneshwar but drew a much lower turnout than expected by organisers.
The protest came at a time of growing disagreement within the RPP over whether to hold demonstrations in restricted zones. The event was marked by disorganisation from the beginning. Several senior party leaders--including chair Lingden, vice-chair Buddhiman Tamang, and chief whip Gyan Bahadur Shahi--were detained before even reaching the designated protest site. Police said the leaders were taken into custody for chanting slogans and distributing flyers within Singha Durbar, the central government secretariat. They were released after a few hours.
RPP, currently the fifth-largest party in the House of Representatives, had called the demonstration to push for the release of its senior vice-chairman Rabindra Mishra and General Secretary Dhawal Shumsher Rana, both of whom were arrested following a violent protest at Tinkune on March 28. The party's protest on Sunday also called for a judicial investigation into the March unrest.
According to Kathmandu Police Range Spokesperson Superintendent Apil Raj Bohara, the leaders were detained after they began distributing flyers and chanting slogans inside the restricted area. Police had already issued a warning through the Ministry of Home Affairs a day earlier, cautioning the party against carrying out protests in restricted zones of the Capital and threatening legal action against anyone violating the law or inciting disorder.
On Sunday morning, RPP lawmakers had gathered at Singha Durbar under the pretext of holding a parliamentary party meeting. After the meeting concluded, Lingden and his team began demonstrating inside the premises by holding pamphlets and calling for a probe into the March 28 incident. Police then intervened and detained the group before they could proceed to New Baneshwar.
The detained leaders were taken to the Kathmandu Police Range office in Bhadrakali. Speaking to reporters after his release, Lingden said he was not surprised by the arrest, describing the government's actions as authoritarian. "We are not shocked by this; we are all prepared to be arrested," Lingden said.
The protest appeared to suffer from internal rifts within the RPP, with several leaders reportedly divided over the strategy. Some questioned the decision to protest in Kathmandu's restricted zones while other leaders had planned demonstrations in their own districts scheduled for Tuesday. "In such a way, how can our movement be effective? It seems some leaders are intent on weakening the movement rather than strengthening it," said a party leader, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The arrest of General Secretary Rana, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, has raised further concerns among party members. RPP leaders have reportedly appealed to the government through Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba to consider Rana's medical condition and release him on humanitarian grounds. Despite such efforts, Rana has not yet been freed. Party Vice-president Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan stated that attempts were underway to secure the release of both Mishra and Rana, not just through Deuba but also by reaching out to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
The RPP has continued its agitation, citing unresolved questions around the March 28 protest at Tinkune. That protest, organised by a different pro-monarchy group led by Panchayat-era politician Nabaraj Subedi, turned violent, resulting in two deaths and over 120 injuries. The RPP had lent its support to the Subedi-led protest, aligning on the common goal of restoring the monarchy. Following the unrest, Rabindra Mishra and Dhawal Shumsher Rana were taken into custody, along with Durga Prasai, who was described as the "field commander" of the demonstration. Subedi has since been placed under house arrest by the government.
Amid ongoing tensions, a delegation of senior RPP leaders met former king Gyanendra Shah at his residence, Nirmal Niwas, on Friday. Party insiders said the meeting lasted nearly two hours but declined to disclose specific details. Those present included leaders such as Pashupati Shamsher Rana, Prakash Chandra Lohani, Buddhiman Tamang, Dhruba Bahadur Pradhan, Bikram Pandey, and party spokesperson Gyan Bahadur Shahi.
"We are pro-monarch people and we meet the former king on a regular basis," said Shahi. Tamang added, "There was nothing specific to share about our meeting with him on Friday."
However, one party member said the discussion covered issues including the March 28 violence and allegations that businessman Durga Prasai had been appointed as the commander of the protest. According to a person familiar with the meeting, the former king expressed deep concern over the casualties and damage caused by the unrest. He reiterated his stance that protests should remain peaceful, saying, "The police are our brothers; stones should not be thrown at them."
The former monarch denied appointing Prasai as the commander of the demonstration, claiming he had not even met Prasai since an event held at Mechi Bridge in Jhapa several years ago. On March 27, a day before the protest, Prasai's vehicle was reportedly seen leaving Nirmal Niwas. However, RPP leaders said that Prasai had only met an aide to the king, not Gyanendra Shah himself, the Kathmandu Post reported.
Furthermore, the former king reportedly denied designating Nabaraj Subedi as the coordinator of the so-called Joint People's Movement. Subedi, who remains under house arrest, also denied having any recent contact with the former monarch.
"It has been more than six months since I met the former king," Subedi told the Post, clarifying that he was approached by other royalist leaders to lead the protest in the absence of a consensus candidate. "The former king has no role in it," he added.
Despite the lack of consensus within the party and the complications surrounding its detained leaders, the RPP continues to press forward with its demand to reinstate Nepal's monarchy and establish a Hindu state, maintaining that the events of March 28 deserve thorough investigation and accountability. (ANI)