KATHMANDU: Tensions escalated in Narayanchaur on Sunday as royalist demonstrations entered their third consecutive week since May 29.

A rally led by the Joint Movement Committee of royalists set out from Narayanchaur with plans to march toward the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar.

However, police intervened, halting the procession and arresting several participants, including Rastriya Prajatantra Party Nepal Chairman and former Home Minister Kamal Thapa.

Eyewitnesses reported that Thapa was forcefully dragged away during the police crackdown. Clashes soon erupted between the protesters and security forces as demonstrators resisted attempts to disperse the crowd.

Addressing the rally earlier in the day, Rastriya Prajatantra Party Chairman Rajendra Lingden warned the government of severe consequences if it continued what he called the “suppression of the royalist movement.”