By Xinhua
Kathmandu : The army in Nepali royal palace, which was under the King’s Household Cavalry, comes under the Nepal Army Headquarters, local newspaper The Rising Nepal reported on Saturday.
Brigadier General of the Nepales e Army Ramindra Chhetry said the command of the army in the palace has been changed to the Army Headquarters. However, he said question of reducing the number of army in the palace had not been decided.
He said he did not know anything about the reduction of the number of army in the royal palace as reported by some media.
Nepali local media Friday said the number of soldiers stationed in the palace was cut down by 500.
Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had directed the Nepal Army to change the command of army in the royal palace after King Gyanendra visited the Kumari House on the concluding day of Indra Jatra festival.
The Kumari, the living Goddess, is believed to possess a divine power to protect the nation, which she transfers to the head of state during the festival by offering tika. On last Sunday, Nepali Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala received tika from the Kumari
Formerly, it is the King of Nepal received tika from the Kumari.
After last year’s April “the People’s Movement”, King Gyanendra’s direct rule of the country is ended by political parties.