Durga Prasai Remanded to Custody Amid Ongoing Probe into Violent March 28 Pro-Monarchy Protest: 42 arrested

Agencies, Kathmandu, April 12, 2025  :  In a significant development related to the violent pro-monarchy protest that rocked Kathmandu on March 28, controversial businessman and monarchy campaigner Durga Prasai has been remanded to police custody for 12 days. Prasai, 54, was arrested in Assam, India, on Thursday and brought to Nepal via the Kakarbhitta border, before being flown to Kathmandu from Bhadrapur and presented before the Kathmandu District Court on Friday. The court, under Judge Shishirraj Dhakal, approved his 12-day remand, along with that of his bodyguard, Deepak Khadka, who was arrested alongside him. Prasai, a cancer patient, has been directed by the court to receive medical treatment as per a doctor's recommendation.

Prasai is considered the mastermind behind the violent March 28 demonstration in Tinkune, organised by the Joint Jana Andolan Committee, an alliance of pro-monarchy and pro-Hindu groups led by long-time royalist Nawaraj Subedi. Ahead of the protest, Prasai and Subedi had met with former King Gyanendra Shah at his residence in Nirmal Niwas and held a press conference announcing the demonstration. Subedi is currently under house arrest, and in his absence, Jagman Gurung is leading the committee.

Source: Nepal Police

The March 28 protest turned deadly, resulting in the deaths of video journalist Suresh Rajak—found burnt to death inside a building set ablaze by protestors—and Kirtipur resident Sabin Maharjan, who died in police firing. A total of 129 people were injured, with five still receiving treatment in hospitals. Protesters vandalised and torched at least 40 buildings, including media offices, political party buildings, private homes, hospitals, business centers, and a fuel storage site of the Nepal Oil Corporation. Sixty-nine vehicles were damaged in the unrest.

Prasai fled Nepal following the violence and was tracked down in India by Nepal Police’s Special Bureau with assistance from Indian authorities. Although his aides claimed he voluntarily surrendered to Indian police out of fear for his life, Nepal Police rejected this assertion, maintaining that he was arrested at a residence of a Nepali-speaking family in Assam. According to police, Prasai had traveled through several Indian cities—including Uttar Pradesh, New Delhi, and Rajasthan—before reaching Assam, reportedly in search of support from pro-Hindu leaders.

Source: Nepal Police

Superintendent of Nepal Police Apil Raj Bohora stated that Prasai incited violence during the protest by instructing his supporters to break through restricted zones around the federal parliament building. He is also accused of attacking police with a vehicle, pelting stones, and assaulting officers using boots, sticks, iron rods, and homemade weapons. Protesters also allegedly seized weapons, looted cash, and set fire to multiple properties including buildings housing communication centers, hospitals, and the outer compound of Tribhuvan International Airport.

Nepal Police has begun preparing cases against Prasai for sedition, organised crime, attempted murder, arson, and vandalism of public and private property. Investigations are ongoing and additional charges may be filed. Several individuals close to Prasai, including his brother Rakesh, have also been arrested. Authorities have so far taken 42 individuals into custody in connection with the March 28 unrest, while 41 others are under investigation.

Prasai, a controversial figure with a history of legal troubles, had previously launched the “Rastra, Rastriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti and Nagarik Bachau Mahaabhiyan,” a campaign advocating for the restoration of Nepal’s Hindu state and monarchy. He is known for his outspoken criticism of Nepal’s secular federal republican system and the country’s mainstream political parties.

The Rastriya Prajatantra Party, a key political force backing the monarchy and Hindu state revival, also saw two of its senior leaders, Rabindra Mishra and Dhawal Shamsher Rana, arrested during the protest. With heightened political sensitivities and ongoing investigations, the situation remains tense as authorities work to maintain order and pursue legal accountability for the violent events of March 28.