Right-wing party workers in Nepal demand govt to declare country Hindu state, clash with police

Activists of a Right-wing party in Nepal clashed with police on Monday when they were holding a protest rally here, demanding that the country be declared a Hindu state.

Nepal police fired tear gas shells and baton charged Rastriya Prajatantra Party leaders and activists near Singhdurbar, the government administrative complex, injuring more than a dozen of them.

The rally started from Ratnapark and converged into a corner meeting near Singhdurbar. The clash between the RPP cadres and the police occurred as soon as the party's leaders starting addressing the corner meeting.

The RRP has been campaigning for reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu State after the country was converted into a secular nation through a parliament declaration in 2008, when monarchy was abolished with the success of the multi-party People's Movement.

Party president Kamal Thapa has vowed to convert Nepal into a Hindu state through launching a struggle.

Nepal Police Spokesperson, Senior Superintendent (SSP) Uttam Raj Subedi said, Police used force to disperse demonstrators as they were obstructing vehicular movement along the road.