Two dead, 45 injured in violent clashes in Kathmandu; curfew imposed and army mobilized

Kathmandu / March 28: Two people died, and 45 others were injured in violent clashes between security personnel and pro-monarchy protesters in Kathmandu on Friday.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Dinesh Kumar Acharya, spokesperson for Nepal Police, informed that dozens of buildings and vehicles were set ablaze.

A protester injured in the demonstration was pronounced dead upon arrival at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Dr Subash Acharya, hospital director, said. The body has been sent to the forensic department for post-mortem in coordination with the police. The deceased is 29-year-old Sabin Maharjan of ward 4 in Kirtipur Municipality, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Likewise, a journalist died after protesters set ablaze a building in Tinkune. Suresh Rajak, who was filming footage for Avenues Television from the roof of the building, was killed in the blaze.

Avenues Television owner Bhaskar Raj Rajkarnikar said that Rajak was trapped inside the building while covering the protest from the building. “He couldn’t be rescued despite the police being constantly informed about his situation there,” he said.

Bikram Shrestha, editor of Whitekhabar.com, said they climbed the nearby buildings together to film the protests. “We were in the five-storey building but he was in the adjoining four-storey building. We could come out of the building, but he couldn’t,” he said.

As many as seven people who sustained bullet injuries are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Kathmandu. Five individuals are being treated at the Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj and two at the National Trauma Centre.

Dr Mohan Chandra Regmi of the Tribhuvan Teaching Hospital said that all five of the injured have gunshot wounds below the waist, but their condition is stable.

National Trauma Centre Director Badri Rijal confirmed that two people with gunshot wounds are receiving treatment there, with one in critical condition after being shot in the abdomen. Emergency surgery is ongoing for this patient, while another shot in the shoulder is being treated.

Social media footage showed protesters seizing police firearms and launching violent attacks. Protesters set fire to private homes, shops, media offices, and government property.

The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a stern warning to those involved in violent protests on Friday, stressing that they will be held accountable for their crimes.

Chhabi Rijal, the ministry’s spokesperson, expressed grave concern over the violent demonstrations in the Tinkune area, condemning the vandalism, arson, and destruction of property, including attacks on hospitals, media offices, political party buildings, businesses, and transport vehicles.

The ministry labelled these acts inhumane and illegal, holding the organisers of the protests fully responsible for the ‘criminal acts’. It reaffirmed its commitment to enforcing the rule of law and ensuring that those violating it face legal consequences.

A curfew remains in place in the Baneshwar-Tinkune area and surrounding areas until 10pm today. The government has also mobilized army to diffuse the situation in Kathmandu.

Demonstrators earlier in the afternoon damaged multiple buildings and set them on fire. The situation turned tense after pro-monarchy protesters broke through the police barricade before the conclusion of their assembly near the Tinkune area, designated by the district authority for their protest.

The protesters vandalized several houses in Tinkune, set one house on fire, and attempted to enter the office of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Socialist) in Aloknagar. They also tried to enter the office of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Center) in Perisdanda. In Perisdanda, they set a government vehicle on fire and carried out acts of vandalism and looting at Bhatbhateni. Additionally, they set the Jadbusti Processing Centre on fire.