Kathmandu, March 16:

Eight student unions affiliated to different political parties took out a protest rally against the hike in the price of petroleum products from Thamel today. The protest rally converged into a corner meet at Ason after passing through Bangemuda and Indrachowk.

Addressing the gathering, Pradip Poudel, vice-president of the Nepal Students’ Union, said: “Price hike and load shedding will go unabated unless autocratic regime is uprooted from the country.”

“Load-shedding and the hike in the price of petroleum products have directly affected the students,” the NSU vice-president said, calling on the government to roll back the hike in the price of petroleum products.

“The students will be forced to announce fresh protests if the government does not review the price hike,” he warned.

The eight students union also requested the Maoists to withdraw the blockades and bandhs as the same would affect the students appearing in SLC examinations slated for March 27.

“The blockades will have an adverse effect on the students’ psychology and they won’t be able to do well in the examinations,” said Poudel.