[1] He was one of the key members of the hijacking of Royal Nepal Airlines Flight 34 in 1973 that was carrying funds that the Nepali Congress needed to overthrow the Monarchy[2] for which he was sentenced to jail for 18 months in Bihar, India.
After his time in prison he went to the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, to study for a Master's degree in political science.
After the failure of the hijacking Bastola was imprisoned in Nakhu, Kathmandu and later in Patna Bihar.
After Bastola's study in India, on returning to Nepal in 1990 he ran for the legislative assembly from his home district of Jhapa.
Bastola went on four foreign trips to India, China, Russia and the United States.