Kathmandu, January 23:

About a dozen students were injured in a two-hour-long clash with the police in front of Amrit Science (Ascol) Campus this morning. The agitating students also protested in front of other campuses in the Kathmandu Valley against King Gyanendra’s proclamation last year and demanded immediate release of all the detained comrades.

Ascol Campus unit president of ANNFSU Ashok Nepal, Bir Bahadur Raut, Ishwor Kafle, Binod Khulal, Prem Pradhan, Kiran Dhital, Kamal Shahi, Kalyan Dahal and Binod Shahi among others were injured in the clash. The police fired several rounds of tear gas shells in the campus and its hostel to quell the mob. The students pelted stones at the police. The students blocked the road for nearly two hours from 8.30 am in front of Ascol Campus by burning tyres and chanted slogans against the government.

According to Bal Gopal Upadhyaya, member ANNFSU’s publicity department, police arrested half a dozen students affiliated to ANNFSU from Baneshwor including Ananda Shrestha, Homraj Mainali and Nabin Gautam. The students vandalised two government vehicles at Baneshwor in the evening.

The students burnt the effigy of regression in front of Padma Kanya campus in Bag Bazaar and police arrested Ranjana Poudel from the campus. Nagen Singh, NSU unit president of Lalit Kala Campus, was injured in the clash.

The students also clashed with the cops in front of Patan Campus, where a student, Sanu Maharjan, was injured.

According to NSU affiliated to NC-D, the eight students, including Rakesh Shrestha, Kamal Dhungana, Chandra Prasad Karki, Pushkar Shrestha, Pashupati Bhandari, and Machindra Tiwari, who were arrested from Saraswati Multiple Campus yesterday, were charged with public offence today. The Kathmandu District Police Office filed cases against them at the District Administration Office, Kathmandu. Meanwhile, the eight student unions today announced a ‘special protest programme’ on February 1. The student bodies have decided to protest setting up of municipal voting centres in the educational institutions, according to joint press release issued here by the student unions. The meeting decided to boycott classes and movies of ‘pro-palace’ teachers and artists respectively. The meeting also condemned police intervention in Padma Kanya Campus, Saraswati Multiple Campus, University Campus in Kirtipur and other campuses of the Valley during yesterday’s protest programme. Shankher Dev Campus unit of the NSU demanded immediate release of all the detained students.

The Kathmandu District Administration Office today issued three-month arrest warrant to Saroj Thapa, FSU president of Tri-Chandra Campus, who was arrested from Maitidevi yesterday.

The Home Ministry said today 15 persons were arrested by the local administration to control “untoward activities”.