KATHMANDU: Three students were arrested and more than a dozen others were injured while protesting the arrest yesterday of NSU former general secretary Gagan Thapa and the July14 arrest of six other student leaders on “false charges”. Thapa has been sentenced to seven days in jail for shouting slogans against the monarchy during a protest rally organised by civil society at Ratna Park on July 25. In most of the Valley’s campuses, students burnt tyres and pelted stones at the police. The areas in front of Shanker Dev Campus, Pashupati Multiple Campus and Padmakanya Campus remained tense due to clashes between students and the police. The police arrested three students— Binod Mainali, Subash Khadka, and Narayan Khatiwada from Pashupati Multiple Campus, Chabahil. They were detained at the Gaushala Valley Police Office. Enraged students vandalised a police van during the protest at Chabahil. NSU unit members Rupa Pokhrel and Rashmi Priya Singh sustained fracture in their hands during the one-and-a-half hour long clashes in the afternoon between students and the police at PK campus. Both are undergoing treatment in Miteri Hospital at Bagbazaar. The police burst into PK college premises and baton-charged the students. Around a dozen students and an inspector were injured in the clashes between students and police at Shanker Dev Campus.

Khutruke catches imagination

ILAM: Micro-saving programme, locally known as Khutruke, is slowly gaining popularity in Ilam district. At the end of every month, two women employees visit more than 300 houses in Ilam municipality collecting money saved by each house in an iron Khutruke (piggybank). The money thus collected is then deposited into a pass book. The Khutruke programme, being run in active participation with local women by Women Awareness Association (WAA) for last five years, is ensuring a better future for children. The programme, which was started with 35 members, has 355 members at the moment. Under the programme, all members are collecting money in the Khutruke, said Bishnu Dahal, president of WAA. The money is saved in the name of children who are given membership to the programme. Children up to the age of 10 years can get memberships to the programme. A member is given an iron Khutruke to put money into it. At least thirty rupees is to be put into a Khutruke every month. WAA provides 10 per cent annual interest on money saved by children, which is added on to the current amount of member children, according to WAA Dahal. Members of the programme are found to be saving a minimum of Rs 30 to a maximum of Rs 15,000 every month, said Tulsha Dhakal.