The ruling CPN-UML on Monday said that former king Gyanendra Shah should be held accountable for the deadly riots during a pro-monarchy demonstration in Kathmandu on March 28.

Two people, including a video journalist, were killed, scores suffered injuries, private and public properties, including buildings of media houses, were vandalised, and a supermarket was ransacked when the demonstration spiralled into chaos that day.

“The arson, vandalism and looting was carried out in an organised way at Tinkune [the epicentre of violence],” UML’s Deputy General Secretary Pradeep Gyawali said after the party’s secretariat meeting on Monday.

Gyawali added that such a riot cannot be justified as an expression of people’s frustration.

The government has apprehended over hundred people in connection with the riots, while calls have been growing louder from different sections to probe the mob violence and scale of the force used by the police to contain the situation.

The government has been denying the need of a judicial commission to probe the incident, saying that the existing state mechanisms are sufficient to carry out the criminal prosecution as per the law of the land and that it has already initiated the process.

“The violence that day was premeditated,” Gyawali said. “How can this be called an expression of people’s frustration?”

Following the pro-monarchy demonstrations, the CPN-UML has been holding several mass meetings in major cities of the country to counter the narrative against the federal democratic republic system. The party, which is led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, has announced a mass rally of youths on April 24 in Kathmandu.

The UML further stated that during his message on February 19 released on the eve of the Democracy Day, the former king sought people’s support in favour of him and even appointed a commander to lead the protest. Controversial businessman Durga Prasai was appointed the ‘field commander’ of the March 28 protest.

Video footage shows Prasai inciting the protesters as he drove his SUV through the security barriers, endangering the police personnel trying to stop him.

The UML, which is led by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, also objected to the statement deposed king Shah made on Sunday on the eve of Nepali New Year.

“He expressed sorrow over the Tinkune incident but did not show his accountability,” Gyawali said. “He asked for support on February 19 and appointed a commander to lead the protests. With everything that has happened under the leadership of that commander, he should have shown accountability. But he has evaded responsibility.”

Several pro-Hindu and pro-monarchy groups have formed an alliance named the joint people’s struggle committee to advocate for the restoration of the monarchy. Nabaraj Subedi, a Panchayat-era royalist leader, was appointed the coordinator of the committee.

Government has placed Subedi under house arrest since March 28 while Prasai, who was on the run, was arrested on April 11.

Gyawali said that Shah should have acknowledged that his call to action through his speech was wrong.