Durga Prasai Arrested Again on Eve of Strike

Kathmandu – Durga Prasai, coordinator of the Campaign to Save the Nation, Nationality, Religion, Culture, and Citizens, has been arrested. A police team took him into custody this evening from his residence in Bhaktapur.

Prasai, who was at his residence in Kamerotar, Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-6, Bhaktapur, was arrested by a joint team consisting of Bhaktapur District Police Range Chief SP Surya Bahadur Khadka, Thimi Police Circle DSP Nawaraj Dhungana, and Inspector Krishna Shrestha from the Kathmandu Police Range. After the arrest, he has been taken to the Kathmandu Police Range.

Prasai’s arrest comes at a time when the CPN (Majority) led by Dharmendra Bastola, with the support of the Baidya group, has called for a Nepal bandh (shutdown) tomorrow. Prasai is also a leader who has been previously raising the issue of restoring the monarchy.

Earlier, Prasai’s campaign had organized a gathering outside Tribhuvan International Airport to welcome former King Gyanendra Shah. On that occasion, slogans calling for the restoration of the monarchy were raised, defying administrative orders. Prasai himself had entered the airport premises to welcome the former King.

Prasai has been arrested multiple times before. On February 6, he was arrested from Chobhar, Kathmandu, on charges of making anti-election statements. He was released on bail two days later. Prior to that, on January 19, he was arrested in Pokhara and released on bail the very next day.

The protest organized by Prasai at Tinkune on Chaitra 15, 2081 BS (March 2025), demanding the restoration of the monarchy, had turned violent, resulting in the deaths of two people, including a journalist. Following that, he had fled to India and was later arrested and brought back to Nepal.