As told by Ganesh Man Singh to Mathbar Singh (translated):

Over the years, I find myself unable to recall many things; however, this particular day is indelible. Till date, when I go through the events of the day, I can feel a chill down my spine.

I must also add that having encountered the incident together with B P Koirala further strengthened our friendship. For me, my admiration of him grew tenfold.

I had always looked up to Koirala Ji, especially owing to his massive intellect. He was a fascinating and an insightful leader. However, that day, I got to witness another realm of his multi-faceted personality.

I had always believed that Koirala Ji and I were equally equipped leaders – if I did not have his level of intellect, I made up for it with my bravery. I had simply assumed that Koirala Ji did not need bravery – he could tackle any situation with his wit. However, that day, after seeing his bravery, and his calmness in the face of adversity – my perception of him changed, and my admiration of the man grew further.

A leader is often tested during adversity – the way B P Koirala dealt with the situation on that particular day made me realized Koirala was a true and capable leader. A true political leader needs to have three qualities – intellect, diplomacy, and courage – B P Koirala possessed all three.

A telephone call from the Prime Minister’s residence:

As everyone in the room slowly gained their composure, a sharp shrilling noise was heard.

It was the telephone ringing.

Koirala answered the phone – Bijaya Shumsher JBR, son of Prime Minister Mohan Shumsher JBR was on the other end.

Expressing sorrow at what happened, Bijaya Shumsher, upon recommendation of PM Mohan Shumsher offered the deployment of Bijuli Garud – the PM’s personal body guards for the protection of B P Koirala and his family.

Much to everyone’s surprise, an earlier calm and composed Koirala started speaking angrily over the phone.

“No need. I can protect myself. I don’t need anyone’s protection”, he said sharply over the phone.

“I know who did this. And I will ensure that I get to the bottom of this”, he added before hanging up the phone in anger.

Singh, in a bid to calm down B P Koirala tried to initiate a conversation:

“We had often read about reactionary movements during a revolution. Today, we got to witness one first hand”, Singh said.

“Yes, this has been an unsuccessful attempt by the reactionaries”, Koirala replied.

“They were almost successful this time. How do we know that they won’t succeed in their next attempt?” Singh asked.

“This attempt was carried out in a fit of rage. It wasn’t planned, and such unplanned revolutions do not succeed”, Koirala replied.

From the window Singh could see officers of the Mukti Sena (Liberation Army turned Nepal Police) arriving, and surrounding the residence/office for Koirala’s security.

Bharat Shumsher is taken to Tundikhel:

The officer in-charge reported to Koirala, and said the additional security was due procedure. He also informed the members present in the hall that the crowd had been successful in freeing Bharat Shumsher from custody, and were taking him to Tundikhel.

“In fact, a small faction from the same procession had broken apart while taking Bharat Shumsher to Tundikhel, and had decided to attack the Home Ministry and Koirala’s residence”, Singh said.

The crowd which had begun their procession from Babar Mahal, first went and freed Bharat Shumsher. To mark their celebrations, they put Bharat Shumsher in a ‘baggi’ (coach), and were taking him to Tundhikhel when a small faction under the leadership of Sukul Dhoj decided to attack the Home Ministry.

Meanwhile, the crowd had reached Tundikhel. The time was around 5 p.m, and Tundikhel was adorning its evening look – officers of Nepali Army were conducting their evening drill, people were sitting down catching up with their friends, or simply gazing at the officers practicing their drill.  All of a sudden, they saw a large group of people coming in their direction, most of them swaying their Khukuris. People Bystanders, after witnessing the scene were gripped in fear.

Chances of a clash were high – and citizens were confused about the events that were unfolding.

Luckily, at the same time SP Nakul Shumsher arrived, and said to the members of the Gorkha Dal that Bharat Shumsher would have to be arrested.

Although an argument ensued, Bharat Shumsher was successfully taken back into custody.