Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, May 16:

Students of Bhaktapur Multiple Campus today overwhelmingly voted for a democratic republican set-up in a mini referendum. Of the total 254 cast votes 96 per cent — 41 per cent for socialist republic and 54 per cent for democratic republic — favoured the republican set-up against one per cent for active monarchy and three per cent for constitutional monarchy.

Ram Prasad Prajapati, FSU chairman, BMC said that the heavy presence of security forces on the college premises and the close down of the college did not deter the students from casting their votes. "The referendum clearly reflects that the students are for a republican set up and the monarchy is outdated," said he.

After the referendum, the students took out a torch rally that went through the Bhaktapur town. Students also took out torch rallies from Sanothimi Education Campus, TU central campus, Pashupati Campus, Saraswati, RR and PK campuses. NSU general secretary Gagan Kumar Thapa said they would announce further protest programmes to include the schools in the anti-regression demonstration. A similar referendum is scheduled for tomorrow in the Mahendra Ratna Campus. The student unions are also obstructing vehicular movement in front of all campuses and burn effigies of regression tomorrow.