
Nepal police fired tear gas and water cannon on Friday to disperse thousands of people gathered in Kathmandu demanding the restoration of the monarchy, prompting authorities to impose a curfew in the area.
The Himalayan nation adopted a federal and republican political system in 2008 after parliament abolished the monarchy as part of a peace deal that ended a decade-long civil war responsible for more than 16,000 deaths.
Support for the restoration of the monarchy re-enshrining Hinduism as the state religion has grown in tandem with popular dissatisfaction over political instability, corruption and lacklustre economic development.
"The country should have developed significantly. People should have had better job opportunities, peace and security and good governance. We should have been corruption-free," Mina Subedi, 55, who joined the demonstration, told AFP.
"But things have only deteriorated."
Protesters gathered near the national parliament chanting that the king and country were "dearer to us than life".
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