Pro-monarchy protest leader Durga Prasai taken to Nepal via Panitanki border

PANITANKI, :Nepal’s pro-monarchy protest leader Durga Prasai, who was arrested from Assam's Baksa district on Thursday, was taken to Nepal via Panitanki border amid tight security on Friday.

Prasai had claimed on social media of not absconding from Nepal and was hiding inside Nepal due to shoot-at-sight order from government.

Prasai was hiding since March 28 when a violent protest rocked Tinkuney in Kathmandu Valley.

According to Nepal police sources, Prasai surrendered before Assam police on Thursday and he was handed to Nepal police at Indo-Nepal border.

His recent controversy centers around his leadership in a violent pro-monarchy protest in Kathmandu on March 28. As the self-proclaimed “people’s commander” of the Joint People’s Movement Committee for the Restoration of Monarchy, Prasai has been accused of inciting chaos during this demonstration in the Tinkune area. The protest turned violent, resulting in significant unrest.Two people were killed, public and private property, including a hospital, were vandalized and set ablaze, and eight vehicles were torched.

Following the protest, Prasai fled the scene and went into hiding, prompting a police search operation starting March 28.  On March 30, he released a video from an undisclosed location—claiming to be at a temple in Kathmandu—where he apologized to the police for his actions but maintained his movement’s momentum, stating, “Durga is no longer a person, it is an idea, a campaign.” The government condemned the demonstration as a misuse of constitutional freedoms, and authorities issued orders for his arrest, citing his role in instigating the violence.

Prasai was produced before Kathmandu District Court where Judge S. Dhakal issued the order to send him for 12 days of judicial remand for further investigation.