Nationwide dozens arrested

Kathmandu Jan 20 -Police have arrested over 200 supporters of the seven-party alliance from Gaushala area on Friday afternoon.Party sources said police stormed into the Dharamashala (Inn) near Guashala and arrested the parties' supporters who had gathered there to participate in Friday's protest demonstration.

In the morning time , half a dozen leaders and activists affiliated to Nepal Sadbhavana party (Anandi devil) were arrested while staging protests at Sundhara shortly before the curfew was to start this morning. Those detained include general secretary of NSP (A) Agenda Mahanoy, joint general secretary Anil K. Jha, central committee member Manish Kumar Suman, Urmila Panday, Raj Narayan Shah, Bindeswor Yadav. Reports said they are being kept at Janasewa police post at Bishal Bazar.

Despite the imposition of day-long curfew in Kathmandu, activists of the All Nepal National Free Students' Union managed to defy the curfew in Patan by holding a brief rally in front of the Pulchowk Engineering Campus at around 9:30 AM this morning.

According to Thakur Gaire, general secretary of the ANNFSU, the students burnt tyres and chanted slogans against the regime for imposing the curfew. The students activists fled the scene before the security forces could reach there and make any arrest, Gaire added.

Many students were arrested from various parts of the valley. According to Gaire, 12 students were arrested from Koteshwor, four from Tribhuvan University and two from Mahankal. Students burnt tyres and chanted slogans and held torch rally at New Bazaar of Kirtipur.The seven party activists, who gathered at Kalanki, outside the ring road for demonstration were chased away by the security forces.

Latest reports say activists and students affiliated to seven-party opposition alliance have staged demonstrations in various parts of the country .There are reports of demonstrations in Pokhara, Butwal, Chitwan, Palpa, Surkhet and Baglung. Over a dozen activists were arrested in Butwal while at least ten students were arrested in Surkhet. Nine activists have been reported as arrested in Chitwan.

A human rights group monitoring Friday’s demonstrations said as much as 27 students were arrested in Surkhet. A number of students, including Tekendra Basnet, were injured in baton charging by police, the group said.

The authorities are yet to confirm these arrests.

In western terai district of Nawalparasi, at least four opposition party activists were arrested. They include Sanjay Yadav of Nepali Congress (Democratic), district president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Radheshyam Pathak and president of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (Anandi Devi) Street Yadav. A rights activist was also arrested by police, according to reports.The government has put top leaders of the agitating seven-party alliance under house arrest since early Friday morning after imposing a daylong curfew in Kathmandu and Lalitpur.

The senior leaders under house arrest include, Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala, CPN-UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, UML leaders KP Sharma Oli, Bharat Mohan Adhikari and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party President Narayan Man Bijuckchhe.

All the leaders under house arrest have been handed three-month house arrest letters.

Some other influential leaders such as UML's Bam Dev Gautam and NC vice-president Sushil Koirala have gone underground following the government crackdown on opposition leaders.

There are reports of protest rallies and meetings organised in Kirtipur, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur and outside Ring Road of Kathmandu this afternoon.