The Kathmandu District Court on Thursday, June 12, ordered the judicial custody of controversial pro-monarchy activist Durga Prasai and six others in a case related to the violent protests that erupted in Tinkune, Kathmandu, on March 28. Thirty-two additional individuals arrested in the same case were released on bail.
The ruling was issued by a single bench of Judge Dhruba Raj Karki, according to the state-owned RSS news agency.
Read: Deaths, Arson, Vandalism and Looting
The March 28 protest—organized as part of a wider campaign to reinstate Nepal as a Hindu kingdom—turned deadly when clashes broke out between demonstrators and security personnel. Two people, including a TV journalist, lost their lives, and dozens others were injured–many with bullet injuries–in the unrest.
Widespread destruction was captured in videos that quickly spread across social media. Alleged protesters were seen engaging in arson, vandalism, and looting. Among the properties damaged were the party office of the CPN (Unified Socialist) and the government-owned Herbs Production and Processing Company Ltd. building in Jadibuti. Several vehicles were also torched, and media offices, too, came under attack.
Read: Who is Durga Prasai, an Outspoken Critic and Campaigner against the Banking Sector?
The protests were led by Durga Prasai, Executive Director of the B & C Medical College in Jhapa. A controversial figure, Prasai has recently emerged at the forefront of the campaign to restore Nepal as a Hindu monarchy.
