ISTANBUL
Two persons were killed and 45 others injured during pro-monarchy protests in Nepal on Friday, leading authorities to impose a curfew in several parts of Kathmandu.
Kumar Acharya, spokesperson for Nepal police, said that dozens of buildings and vehicles were set ablaze, according to The Kathmandu Post.
A journalist, Suresh Rajak, died after protesters set ablaze a building in Tinkune. He was filming the protests when the incident happened, the report said.
Sabin Maharjan, 29, was shot by police during the protests and was pronounced dead at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, according to the Himalayan Times.
The authorities used tear gas, rubber bullets, and live rounds to disperse the crowd, injuring dozens of protesters.
Videos of the protests circulating on social media showed clashes between protesters and police, with demonstrators vandalizing buildings and setting objects on fire in the streets.
Authorities imposed a curfew in the Baneshwar-Tinkune area of Kathmandu and the surrounding neighborhoods.
Prime Minister Sharma Oli has also called an emergency Cabinet meeting on Friday after the protests, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The centuries-old monarchy was abolished in 2008, two years after then-King Gyanendra was forced to abandon his authoritarian rule and introduce democracy by weeks-long street protests in 2006.
Since then, Gyanendra has been living as a private citizen with no power or state protection. He still has some support among the people but little chance of returning to power.
The Himalayan nation was declared a secular state in 2007 by an interim constitution.
