KATHMANDU: The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Nepal has announced a mass demonstration in Kathmandu on April 28, protesting the government’s proposed amendment to the criminal code and demanding the immediate release of leaders and activists arrested during a recent pro-monarchy and pro-Hindu nation rally.
The party made the announcement following its central working committee meeting on Friday. According to a statement issued by General Secretary Rajaram Bartaula, the demonstration will call for the release of Rabindra Mishra, as well as Durga Prasai, Pashupati Khadka, Munindra Rajbhandari, and Santosh Silwal, who were arrested during the Tinkune protest on March 28.
RPP Nepal has urged all participants in the upcoming protest to carry only the national flag—symbolizing unity and national concern—rather than party banners. The rally is expected to draw a wide range of supporters who oppose what the party sees as an attempt by the government to silence dissent through legal means.
The party alleges that the proposed amendment to the criminal code seeks to label criticism or attempts to change Nepal’s secular republican structure as treasonous—an act it says is against the spirit of the Constitution.
The April 28 demonstration, therefore, will also oppose what the party calls the government’s unconstitutional effort to curtail the people’s right to express alternative political beliefs.
Calling the detainees “prisoners of faith,” the RPP has urged civil society, democratic forces, and the media to stand in solidarity to defend constitutional freedoms and prevent what it describes as growing authoritarian tendencies within the government.
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