Kathmandu, May 13:

Police today arrested around four dozen Maoist victims, who were staging a sit-in in front of Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala’s residence in Baluwatar. They were released later in the evening.

They had gone to the PM’s residence to hand over a memorandum to the PM. They were taken to three police stations — Maharajgunj, Kamal Pokhari and Anamnagar.

“We just wanted to see the prime minister for two minutes but we were not allowed to enter the complex. Therefore, we staged a sit-in,” said Kamala Rai, vice-chairman of the Maoist Victims’ Association. She said the guards at the PM’s residence refused to take their message saying that the PM was sick, though they had an appointment at 8 am.

“At noon, they called an additional police force and held all of us,” she said, adding the association would visit the NHRC to discuss today’s event.