KATHMANDU, April 6: The Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) and monarchist groups acknowledged smearing black soot on the statue of BP Koirala, the first democratically elected Prime Minister, as an "unfortunate incident" and have apologized.
The monarchist staged a march in Banke on Saturday evening, demanding the release of Dhawal Shamser Rana, the RPP general secretary and MP from Banke-2. During the march, they covered BP Koirala's statue in Nepalgunj with black cloth and smeared it with black paint. After a photo of the incident went viral, widespread criticism followed.
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The widespread criticism of the incident compelled the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Nepalgunj City Committee to issue an apology through a press statement today. The RPP stated, "We, along with the city committee, apologize for the damage this fateful event has caused to the beliefs of any political party or individual."
RPP City Committee Chairman Hukam Singh KC said the incident occurred after police intervened in a march demanding the release of their leaders.
"Our intention was never to insult any political party or individual. We have always respected and trusted the leaders of our country, especially the people's leader and the first democratically elected Prime Minister, BP Koirala, and we will continue to do so," KC said in the press release.