Kathmandu, Jan. 14 -- Over the past few days, mobile users, particularly Nepal Telecom subscribers, have been receiving repeated SMS messages urging them to join royalist protests. Sent using IDs such as "AT Alert" and "SI Alert," the messages have triggered widespread concern on social media over how mobile numbers were accessed without consent.

By Tuesday, an estimated six million messages had been circulated. Sent in the name of Nirdesh Sedhai, the texts called for the abolition of provinces and the establishment of a "sanatani great monarchy in Nepal" with a directly elected prime minister, suggesting an organised campaign using bulk SMS gateways.

Journalist Devaki Bista wrote on Facebook that she had been receiving the messages for...