Thousands march for restoration of monarchy, Hindu state in Nepal

Nepali police have fired tear gas and water cannons as thousands marched in the capital Kathmandu demanding the restoration of a constitutional monarchy and a Hindu state.

"Restoration of the monarchy, a Hindu nation and abolishment of the federal system are our demands," said Mohan Shrestha, spokesman for the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party which organised the demonstration on Tuesday.

It is the fifth-largest party in the parliament.

"Our nation and our king are dearer to us than life", protesters chanted near government buildings in the centre of the capital as they blew conch shells.

Police spokesman Nawaraj Adhikari told AFP news agency that police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators after they broke into a restricted area.

The Hindu-majority nation became a secular republic with a federal system in 2008 after parliament abolished the monarchy as part of a peace deal that ended a decade-long civil war in which more than 16,000 people were killed.

Identity and culture

Support has been brewing for the restoration of the monarchy and a Hindu state as dissatisfaction grows in the Himalayan country over political instability, corruption and slow economic development.

The party had submitted a 40-point memorandum to the prime minister's office in February, which also included demands to control corruption and ensure good governance.

"These beasts have ruined our nation with corruption and lawlessness," said Tanka Prasad Khatiwada, 80, who came from eastern Nepal to join the protest.

"To save our identity and culture there is no other way than restoring the monarchy."

Gyanendra Shah, 76, the last king of Nepal, has largely refrained from public comment on the country's fractious politics and calls for the monarchy’s restoration.

Shah was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a massacre that wiped out most of the royal family.