KING Gyanendra threw Nepal into political crisis yesterday when he sacked the Government, declared a state of emergency and took over control of the country.

Armoured military vehicles with mounted machineguns patrolled the streets of Kathmandu. Former government leaders were placed under house arrest, communications were cut and almost all international flights cancelled.

Sher Bahadur Deuba, the deposed Prime Minister, denounced the King’s actions as a coup, accusing him of exploiting the intensifying Maoist insurgency to snatch power in a violation of the constitution.

It is the second time in three years that King Gyanendra has dismissed his Government. “It is an anti-democratic step and we strongly denounce this act,” Mr Deuba said in a statement to journalists who gathered outside his house after soldiers surrounded it and prevented anyone from entering. “This step has thrown the country into a grave crisis.”

The King appeared on state television to announce his takeover, accusing the Government of failing in its duty to restore peace and hold long-suspended elections to reconstitute the suspended assembly. “A new cabinet will be formed under my leadership,” he said. “This will restore peace and effective democracy in this country within the next three years.”

State radio later announced the imposition of a state of emergency, handing unspecified powers to the security forces, including the Royal Nepalese Army, which is under the King’s direct control. According to witnesses, several government ministers from the Prime Minister’s party were driven away under a security escort to an unknown destination.

Many Nepalis still consider the King, 58, to be the incarnation of Vishnu, the Hindu god of protection, but critics say that he is an autocrat. Named King when he was just an infant, Gyanendra returned to the throne in 2001 after a palace shooting in which Birendra, his brother and predecessor, and several members of the Royal Family were killed.

Yesterday’s developments came amid growing warnings about the country’s deteriorating human rights situation in the midst of the political crisis over the Maoist threat. India, Nepal’s southern neighbour, labelled the move “a serious setback to the cause of democracy in Nepal”.

India has been an important donor of military aid to Nepal in its battle against the Maoists, whose insurgency it fears could spill over its own border.

In Kathmandu, residents reacted with shock to the announcement, despite months of rumours, of an imminent royal takeover. Long lines quickly formed at grocery stores and petrol stations as local people stocked up on supplies. “We are so confused,” said Narayan Thapa, a government worker. “We don’t know what is going on or what will happen.”

The King blamed “factional fighting” between the political parties for the Government’s failure to bring an end to the Maoist insurgency, which has raged through the countryside for the past eight years. More than 11,000 people have died at the hands of the rebels and the security forces.

“Innocent children were found massacred and the Government could not achieve any important and effective results,” he said.

“The Crown traditionally is held responsible for the protection of national sovereignty, democracy and people’s right to live peacefully.”

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