An image capturing an undercover police officer aiming a handgun amid a chaotic protest in Koteshwor (Nepal) on 28th March has gained widespread attention online, prompting royalist demonstrators to allege that “outsiders” had infiltrated their ranks. Meanwhile Former king Gyanendra Shah is put under house arrest as the Nepal Govt is moving forward with revoking his passport.

What happened?

Opponents of Nepal’s republican government are coalescing around ex-King Gyanendra Shah, who has maintained close connections with the public and argued that a culturally rooted nation like Nepal requires the monarchy to embody its diverse unity. Once deposed from power 19 years ago, the former monarch has unexpectedly emerged as a focal point for citizens disillusioned with the current political framework, constitution, and leadership of the democratic republic.

On March 28, tensions escalated as the military was deployed to manage throngs of pro-monarchy demonstrators flooding Kathmandu’s streets. Their numbers dwarfed those at a rival Left Front gathering, leading to fierce confrontations with law enforcement. The unrest claimed three lives and resulted in 110 arrests. During a late-night cabinet session, at least one senior minister reportedly pushed for the detention of Gyanendra Shah.

During Friday’s Left Front rally, located six kilometers from the pro Monarchy gathering, two ex-Prime Ministers—Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda of the Maoist Centre and Madhav Kumar Nepal of the United Socialists—issued a stern warning to former King Gyanendra Shah, urging him to abandon any hopes of restoring the monarchy. They also pressed Prime Minister Oli to detain him. Meanwhile, at the royalist event, police stationed at a nearby private residence cracked down forcefully, firing tear gas onto the platform where key figures, including the movement’s 87-year-old leader, Nabaraj Subedi, were positioned.

Durga Prasai, an unpredictable anarchist and prominent right-wing organizer of the royalist rally, rammed his vehicle through police barricades en route to Parliament House and has since gone into hiding. In retaliation to Prachanda and Madhav Nepal’s call for Shah’s arrest, the crowd stormed and vandalized the party offices of the two former leaders. Later that evening, after a cabinet session, authorities confined Subedi to his home and took three other prominent royalist figures—Dhawal Shumsher Rana, Rabindra Mishra, and Swagat Nepal—into custody.

Fate of Gyanendra Shah?

Authorities have since placed the former king under informal house confinement while probing his suspected involvement in sparking the deadly protests, which left two dead. Security has been heightened around his home, with his mobility curtailed. The government is also taking steps to cancel his passport, effectively barring him from exiting Nepal, while scaling back his state-provided security detail and privileges, according to Nagarik Dainik.

The undercover cop!!!

A picture of a Nepali policeman holding his gun went viral as a journalist died of a gunshot. Inquiry revealed that during the unrest, protesters ignited a government vehicle parked outside the Drug Control Bureau and made efforts to topple and torch a police van. Notably, all officers stationed at the Bureau were dressed in civilian attire. As the crowd attempted to breach the Bureau and set it ablaze, officers inside assumed defensive stances, Nepali officials claim.

Footage of one officer brandishing a firearm rapidly circulated on social media. A high-ranking official from the Bureau later clarified that the individual in the video was indeed a member of their team, emphasizing that the police were compelled to respond defensively as tensions surged. Although the protesters succeeded in burning the vehicle, they failed to ignite the Bureau building itself.

Many claim that chaos during the pro-Monarchy demonstration was pre-planned to whittle down the support Former king Gyanendra Shah gets from the people. Nepal is in chaos as corrupt leaders continue to rule.