KATHMANDU: Durga Prasai, a medical entrepreneur and prominent monarchist activist who had been warning of a nationwide shutdown on November 23, has been arrested.
A police team detained him from his residence in Thimi, Bhaktapur, and brought him to the District Police Complex in Bhadrakali, Kathmandu.
According to authorities, Prasai is accused of attempting to disturb public peace and security. At a press conference in Kathmandu on Monday, he had declared that his movement would continue and vowed to “bring Mechi to Mahakali to a halt.”
The interim government said the arrest was intended to prevent potential violence and instability linked to Prasai’s planned demonstrations.
Prasai and his supporters had announced a mass protest for November 23 against republicanism and corruption. The rally—organized under the banner of the “Brihat Nagarik Mukti Andolan” and promoted through Prasain’s campaign titled “Rashtra, Rashtriyata, Dharma, Sanskriti ra Nagarik Suraksha”—was expected to take place in Kathmandu.
Supporters on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and other social media platforms had been calling on people to gather in the capital on November 23.
Prasai had claimed he would mobilize more than 1.5 million people to Kathmandu to oppose republicanism, federalism, and secularism. His movement has also included calls for loan waivers, alleging that banks and financial institutions are imposing excessive financial burdens on low-income people.
Prasain frequently criticized business groups and political leaders, accusing them of fueling corruption and worsening the country’s economic situation. In recent months, he has issued repeated warnings that the current government— which he labels an “agent of foreign powers”—would be toppled.
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