The protests began in recent days and have gained great momentum, especially as the country approaches the celebration of the festival of Ramnavami, a festival to commemorate the King of Justice.
This public uprising came more than a decade after the abolition of the monarchy in 2008, and many citizens are now disillusioned by political unrest and corruption, and has been plaguing Nepal since then.
The King’s Return
On the streets of Kathmandu, protesters waved the flag and demanded the return of former king Gyanendra Shah.
After the government has scaled back the security details of the former king, some waves of protests (some estimates) claim that the latest wave of protests has claimed as many as 1 million people.
The Armed Police Force (APF) has reduced Gyanendra’s personal security from 25 to 15, a broader move by the government to reduce the privileges of the former head of state.
Despite the government’s crackdown, protesters are intensifying, with protesters clashing with police on March 28.
The violent skirmish caused police to fire tear gas and use water cannons to disperse the crowd, resulting in two deaths and more than a hundred injuries.
This will only spark the anger of demonstrators, many of whom have been failed by the country’s political unrest and successive governments’ failure to achieve meaningful reforms.
The monarch’s security cuts
Gyanendra Shah’s security team’s layoffs have become the focus of frustration for his supporters.
At its peak, the former king’s security details were 155 personnel, of which 25 were specifically targeted at him.
However, after the recent cuts, only 15 security personnel were still sent to Gyanendra, and the government continued to withdraw resources from the royal family.
These moves are part of a broader trend to expand previous privileges against the monarchy, but they have also sparked anger among royal supporters.
Require changes
The protests brought Kathmandu’s historic streets to life, but this time, the atmosphere was obviously different. Unlike past protests led by political parties, the current demonstrations seem to be a spontaneous, leaderless movement.
Protesters did not rallied behind any particular politician or ideology. Instead, they called for the return of the monarch who was once a symbol of national unity and stability.
Despite their different views, many of the working class in Kathmandu expressed support for the monarchy, citing the orders and security that the country enjoyed under royal rule.
“We don’t have too many, but at least we have a king,” taxi driver Ram Bahadur Pariyar told TOI.
Constitutional Monarchy
While some protesters called for a full recovery of the monarchy, others advocated a constitutional monarchy, and the role of the king would be symbolic.
The middle class, in particular, seems to be divided on this issue. Marketing Director Anuja Shrestha told TOI, “It’s not the old system, it’s a guy who’s not a punch.”
Many seem to desire to return to a more stable and orderly form of governance without restoring the old absolute monarchy.
The protests also seem to reflect a deeper frustration with Nepal’s political institution, which has failed to provide consistent leadership or implement promised reforms since the abolition of the monarchy.
Over the past 17 years, Nepal has carried out a cycle through more than a dozen governments that have lasted long enough to achieve meaningful change.
Protest or revolution?
As protests continue to grow, the situation in Nepal remains turbulent.
Although the direct cause of the demonstration seems to be a call for a return of the monarchy, the turmoil is fundamentally a profound sense of disillusionment about the entire political system.
“We are not saying that the king is the savior,” one teacher, Pema Rai, told TOI. “But at least someone. There’s noise right now.”
The protests adopted a leaderless quality, with no visible party flag among the protesters. Instead, protesters adopted the crimson-red Double Thought Flag, a symbol of resistance and national pride.
“They don’t want faces anymore,” said Manoj Raut, 19, who sold the flag to TOI near Tridevi Temple. “Just the country.”
(with proxy input)
