Nepal Protesters Demanding Monarchy, Hindu State Because of Chinese

The unrest in neighbouring Nepal can be attributed to Chinese interference that hasn’t allowed any government to settle down in the landlocked Himalayan country, top officials in the Indian intelligence establishment told News18.

Earlier this week, riot police in Nepal used batons and tear gas to halt tens of thousands of supporters of Nepal’s former king who attempted to march to the center of the capital to demand the restoration of the monarchy and the nation’s former status as a Hindu state.

The protesters, waving the national flag and chanting slogans supporting former King Gyanendra, had gathered on the edge of Kathmandu and attempted to move toward the centre of the city. Riot police blocked them, beating them with bamboo batons and firing tear gas and a water cannon. There were minor injuries on both sides.

“This is due to continuous Chinese interference in Nepal. They have not allowed even a single government to settle down. The people of Nepal are restless because this is a landlocked country and is dependent on the rest of the world,” an Indian intelligence official said.

“But due to corrupt practices of political parties and politicians, local people and public are suffering. Now, they are forced to go to China which is not their culture. Airports and highways have been sold to China. Local public want Nepal to run under one command and control, that is their king. They want a Hindu state, not one which has proximity to China as a colony,” the official added.

On Thursday, supporters of the former king came to Kathmandu from all over the country to demand the return of the monarchy that was abolished in 2008. They accused the government and political parties of corruption and failed governance.

Weeks of street protests in 2006 forced then-King Gyanendra to abandon his authoritarian rule and introduce democracy.

Two years later, a newly elected parliament voted to abolish the monarchy and declared Nepal a republic with a president as head of state.

Since then, Gyanendra has been living as a private citizen with no power or state protection. He still has some support among the people, but little chance of returning to power.

The demonstrators also demanded that Nepal be turned back into a Hindu state. The Himalayan nation was declared a secular state in 2007 by an interim constitution.