KATHMANDU: There are increasing demands to investigate former King Gyanendra Shah for his alleged role in the royalist protest that turned violent in Tinkune, Kathmandu, on March 28, leading to the deaths of two people.
Leaders from various political parties have stated that Shah, along with protest leader Durga Prasai, should be held accountable for the incident.
CPN-UML leader Sachet Mahesh Bartaula has already said that the former king should be implicated. Similarly, Ghanshyam Bhusal, General Secretary of the CPN (Unified Socialist), also said the former monarch should be made responsible.
“What happened on March 28 was criminal and deserves condemnation,” Bhusal said. “But the narrative is being twisted to distract people from the failures, corruption, and misrule happening at the core of politics. Gyanendra Shah and Durga Prasai must be held to account.”
Bhusal also criticized what he described as a campaign to glorify the past. “Some people are trying to erase the painful reality behind the development we see today—like roads, phones, and health care—by covering up the fact that these gains came at the cost of exploitation by political brokers,” he added.
He didn’t spare new political faces either, criticizing leaders like Rabi Lamichhane and Kathmandu Mayor Balen Shah. He said their actions have created chaos and confusion, but instead of addressing public frustration, the ruling coalition is trying to label the unrest as a threat to the nation.
“The Congress and UML want to continue their rule despite widespread unemployment and poor governance,” Bhusal said. “But unless Nepali politics truly atones for its mistakes, the people’s anger will continue to challenge the system.”
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