The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has fined former king Gyanendra Shah for various offenses, including vandalism and littering, related to a demonstration in the Tinkune area on Friday.
On Saturday, eight municipal police personnel from the KMC issued eight separate letters in the name of Gyanendra Shah, Nirmal Niwas imposing a total fine of Rs 793,000.
The demonstration in the Tinkune area on Friday was called by Durga Prasai advocating for restoration of monarchy. On Thursday, Prasai had visited Nirmal Niwas to meet the former king, after which he was appointed as a "commander" for the monarchy restoration movement.
Royalist demonstrators repeatedly attempted to break through police cordons. Later, Prasai drove his vehicle through the police line, breaking into a restricted area. Following this, as demonstrators along with Prasai, breached the police cordon, the police fired tear gas to disperse them. Subsequently, the demonstrators vandalized and set private homes on fire.
The demonstrators also pelted stones at a fire truck dispatched by Kathmandu Metropolis to extinguish the fire. The KMC decided to impose a fine on former king Gyanendra Shah for the attacks on various municipal structures, the fire truck, and firefighters during the protest.
On Saturday, a KMC team collected details of the damage in the Tinkune-Koteshwore-Jadibuti area. Based on this assessment, it was decided that the costs of the damage and cleanup would also be recovered from former king Gyanendra Shah.
Two people died in the Tinkune area on Friday during the protest. Demonstrators set fire to a party office, private homes, a supermarket, a media house, a herbal processing center, and a government vehicle.
The demonstration called by Prasai was supported by the ‘Joint People's Movement Committee for Restoration of Monarchy’ led by Nava Raj Subedi as well as RPP and RPP-Nepal.
Following Friday's events, Prasai has gone absconding. Police arrested Senior Vice-chairman of RPP and Member Secretary of the ‘Joint People's Movement Committee for the Restoration of Monarchy Rabindra Mishra’ and General Secretary of Dhawal Shumsher Rana on Friday evening after they attended the protest.
On February 25, when former King Gyanendra Shah arrived in Kathmandu from Pokhara, RPP was fined Rs 100,000 for littering and damaging municipal structures during a welcome rally and demonstration from Tribhuvan International Airport. RPP lawmaker Gyanendra Shahi paid the fine at the KMC office. Earlier, the KMC had also fined the CPN-UML Rs 100,000 for holding an event at Durbar Marg.
