King Birendra finally meets BP Koirala on 7 June 1977 and tells him he is suffering from a throat problem. He travels to New York for an immediate operation, and spends the next five months in convalescence. There are no entries in the diary during this period. But BP resumes his diary on 8 November, the day he returned to Kathmandu and, for the second time that year, is whisked away from the airport to prison. At the Police Training Centre, BP is so tired that he thinks going back to prison again is a relief.

Monday, 30 May 1977
[no entry]


Tuesday, 31 May
PTC [Police Training Centre]
Today a team of Drs (Mrigendra, Sharma, Dongol or Gongol, Surgeon Laxminarayan, ENT) examined me very thoroughly and afterwards went into consultation among themselves for over an hour. Then told me that they want a thorough medical checkup for me. By their behaviour I could gather that they suspect heart trouble, altho they have asked me not to worry. I would be so happy if they took me to the Bir Hospital for my medical checkup-this will be an agreeable change of environment. But I don't think they will do it for fear of people's abduction. They will do the checkup in the detention camp itself.

[1-2 June pages missing]

Friday, 3 June
X ray taken. 10 pictures at the Bir Hospital. Sushila, Rosa, Chetana, Niru, Santosh, Kalpu with her daughter came to see me.

4-6 June
[no entries]

Tuesday, 7 June
PTC
In the evening, met the king who told me that I was suffering from thickening of the artery of my neck-condition with possibility of stroke, death or blindness.

8 June
[no entry]

Thursday, 9 June
Kathmandu to Delhi-released for treatment. Left Kathmandu with Sushila and Chetana.

9-10 June
[no entries]

Saturday, 11 June
Delhi to Bombay. Left with Sushila for Bombay. Met JP.

Sunday, 12 June
Left for US at 2AM with Sushila. New York at 3PM.

Monday 13 June
New York

Tuesday 14 June
Admitted in the New York hospital for operation.

[15-22 June pages missing]

Thursday, 23 June
[no entry]

Friday, 24 June
Left hospital for my hotel.

Police Training School (Detention Camp)
8.11.77

How to begin? What to write? In detention I become subjective-I think about my own mental state. I can only record-not see events that occur outside of me-my thoughts. I vividly recollect all the details of the small events of the day-scenes at the Patna airport where a large no. of my friends including Chandra Shekhar (President, Janata Party) and Karpuri Thakur (CM, Bihar) had come to bid me goodbye, most of them with moist eyes, garlands, flowers, momentary attacks of extreme tiredness and weariness, accompanied with extreme heat, exhausting me, myself yielding to drowsiness, Shailaja's anxious inquiries as to my sadness (she thought that perhaps the immediate prospect of arrest had saddened me) my constant thoughts about Sushila when I left 4 days ago in Varanasi, her pale anxious face haunting me, photographs and more photographs-what will happen when we land at Kathmandu airport? Shailaja whispers don't worry, I am always and always with you, I will keep faith with you, etc-a telephone call from JP wishes me all the luck in life + invokes god's blessings, regrets couldn't come to airport because he is too weak + ill. And then at the Kathmandu airport. Shailaja presses my hand and again whispers she would keep faith with me always and always. Why has she to assure me of her faith? Rishikesh Shaha has been fidgety all though the plane ride, says take it from me, you won't be arrested + then when he sees a helicopter parked by the side of the plane which had halted at the far northern end of the airport, says-why is this helicopter here? Suspecting that I might be whisked away to.he proves wrong on both counts. Some officers enter the aircraft and ask me to disembark. Other passengers are asked to remain in the aircraft. Shailaja collects our handbags some of the officers help her in carrying them to our waiting jeeps. I walk up to Shahaji who is already in one of the police jeeps and shake his hands + then I start walking up to Shailaja who rushes to me in a bewildered state-things happened so fast. Says-keep faith, dear, don't worry. I hold her hand, pat her cheeks + return to my jeep. Shailaja carries my hand bag up to the jeep, and the jeep starts + takes a sharp turn. The police officer accompanying me is DSP.Straight brought before the tribunal. I raise technical objection to my arrest at the airport + my production before the court made in police custody. Am extremely tired and exhausted-prevented from getting the assistance of my legal adviser. At about 3PM brought back to the old place of detention in the Police Training Centre. The day had been extremely hectic-why for the last 15 days I had no rest or enough sleep. Prison is a relief. But homesickness assails the moments I step into my room in the detention camp. GM is very much reduced.