KATHMANDU, April 11: Authorities claim Indian police have taken Durga Prasai, commander of the monarchist movement, into custody after he fled Kathmandu following violent protests on March 28. Nepali security personnel, who had been searching for Prasai for a week, reportedly found him in Assam. Indian police then detained him on Thursday.
According to the claim, Indian police escorted Prasai to the Nepal-India border and released him. It is said that the Nepal Police is expected to arrest him upon arrival in Nepal.
However, Nepal Police denied arresting him. On Thursday night, Nepal Police Headquarters issued a statement expressing serious concern over media reports titled “Durga Prasai Arrested.” The statement clarified, "Durga Prasai, who remains wanted for involvement in various criminal activities, is still on our watchlist. As we have not yet apprehended him, we urge all to refrain from publishing or broadcasting misleading news."
Despite the official denial, a high-ranking Nepal Police source insisted that Prasai had been detained. “Nepal Police coordinated with Indian authorities during the search for Durga Prasai. Indian police helped take him into custody,” the senior officer claimed.
Following Prasai’s reported detention by Indian police, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Home Secretary Gokarna Mani Duwadi, Inspector General of Police Deepak Thapa, and Special Bureau Chief DIG Siddhi Bikram Shah held an emergency meeting, according to sources.
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The team deployed from Nepal’s Special Bureau to search for Prasai disguised themselves in creative ways, selling chatpate and bed sheets, while others posed as sadhus in temples. Personnel from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), Special Bureau, and the Kathmandu Valley Crime Division had been deployed across various parts of India for the operation.
A police officer involved in the investigation stated, “Indian police confirmed Durga Prasai’s identity on April 9, but they couldn’t reach him for various reasons. It wasn’t until the next day that Indian police cordoned off the area and sent him to the Nepal–India border.”
However, Prasai’s secretariat confirmed that he voluntarily surrendered. “Just two hours ago, our campaign coordinator, Durga Prasai, surrendered to the Assam police in India for his safety. On Wednesday, we assured in a video message that we would present ourselves within 24 hours if our safety was guaranteed, and today we have arrived! (Durga Prasai) Long live the nation, long live nationalism,” Prasai’s secretariat said in a statement on Thursday evening.
Prasai's family confirmed that the police detained him. They claim that he did not get arrested but voluntarily reached out to the Assam police for his safety. After learning that Prasai had fled to India, the police tracked his location through various means. Despite his escape, two videos were uploaded to social media. Before his latest video was released, Nepal Police officers in Assam had already tracked his whereabouts. Once the video went public, it became easier to locate him. As part of the search, Indian police raided Nepali settlements and temples in Assam.
On March 28, Durga Prasai led a protest in Kathmandu's Tinkune that turned violent, killing two people. The protest caused widespread destruction, arson, and looting. Prasai, who attempted to run over security personnel with a vehicle, fled the scene the same day.
While in hiding, Prasai stated on Wednesday that he would surrender to the police within 24 hours if his safety was guaranteed.
In a live Facebook broadcast, Prasai assured that he would appear before the police within 24 hours if his safety was ensured, mentioning his lawyers and the National Human Rights Commission's involvement. "I do not need to be searched. People claim I fled to India, but I haven't. I am in Nepal, living somewhere in Nepal. If my safety is ensured, I am ready to come out," he said. However, it later became clear that he had been pretending to be in Nepal while hiding.
On Wednesday, Minister for Communications and Information Technology and Deputy General Secretary of the CPN-UML, Prithvi Subba Gurung, announced that the state would arrest Durga Prasai. Speaking on the "Frontline" program on Republica, he stated that since Prasai had caused chaos against the state, authorities would arrest him without offering any protection. "Whether he comes or not, we don't care. Is the state going to provide protection or arrest someone who is engaged in arson, looting, and chaos? He can not be moving freely until we arrest him," Minister Gurung said.
He further added that the protest Prasai led on March 28 disrupted peace and security and attacked the constitution. "This is treason, whether done by former King Gyanendra Shah or anyone else. The state will defend the constitution," he declared.
According to the police, they were also searching for Prasai's bodyguard, Deepak Khadka, Ram Kumar Dhital, and associate Duren Rai just as they were searching for Prasai. Some of them were reportedly back in Nepal by Wednesday, sources said. Earlier, reports had indicated a connection between Prasai and the notorious Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's group, related to some business dealings.
