Nepal's King Gyanendra stoned by crowd
Pakistan Times Wire Service

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s King Gyanendra has come under attack from a stone-throwing crowd as he travelled in a motorcade on Saturday.

The monarch, who was on his way to a pilgrimage site in Kathmandu to attend a Hindu festival, escaped unhurt. Nepal’s king, traditionally regarded as an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, has become highly controversial since assuming absolute power in 2005.

The attack is the first of its kind since he stepped down following nation wide protests in April 2006. King Gyanendra was on his way to the Pashupati temple in the capital for the Maha Shivratri festival when crowds chanting anti-monarchy slogans pelted his motorcade with stones.

The BBC Surendra Phuyal in Kathmandu says the situation remained tense at the temple for more than an hour as the monarch paid his respects in the temple premises.

The local police chief told that they had to use force to control the unruly mob. There has been strong public feeling against the monarch since he gave up power.

Meanwhile, around 1,000 protesters rallied in Nepal’s capital on Saturday to demand that the Himalayan nation revert to being a Hindu state after the government declared the country secular. Nepal was the world’s only Hindu nation until the government made it a secular country last year following massive protests which forced its Hindu monarch to end his absolute rule.●