Prasai Faces Sedition, Other Charges. Police Given 12-day Custody:

Tracked down in Assam, India

On Thursday, he was brought to Jhapa and produced in Kathmandu district court Friday.

Kathmandu Post, April 12, 2025, Kathmandu : Durga Prasai, 54, a controversial medical college operator believed to be the mastermind of the March 28 pro-monarchy protest in Tinkune, has been remanded to police custody for 12 days following a court order on Friday.

Prasai, who led the violent protest, was arrested in India and brought to Nepal via the Kakarbhitta border. He was then flown to Kathmandu from Bhadrapur.

Police said he had fled following the March 28 incident and was traced by the Special Bureau with the help of three teams deployed to India. However, Prasai’s aides claimed he had voluntarily surrendered to India’s Assam Police. Nepal Police later issued a statement saying he was detained from Bhadrapur, Jhapa.

Prasai was appointed ‘people's commander’ by the ‘Joint Jana Andolan Committee’ led by Nawaraj Subedi, to spearhead the March 28 protest demanding the restoration of Hindu state and monarchy.

The committee is a loose alliance of pro-Hindu and pro-monarchy parties, groups and organisations.

After the death of one video journalist and a youth in the course of the March 28 protest, the government has placed long-time royalist Subdei under house arrest. In Subedi’s absence, Jagman Gurung is leading the committee.

Ahead of their press conference on March 27, both Subedi and Prasai had met former king Gyanendra Shah at the latter’s residence in Nirmal Niwas. After meeting Shah, Prasai and Subedi organised a press conference and announced the protest for the following day.