Kathmandu, February 3:

Police intervened in a protest rally in Tinkune today and arrested at least 20 participants, including teachers, journalists, lawyers and human right activists. Demanding an end to autocracy and establishment of full democracy, the teachers had taken out the rally from Tripureshwor. The dispersed activists gathered in Thapathali and staged a rally again.

President of the Nepal University Teaches’ Association (NUTA), Prof Dr Bhupati Dhakal ‘Kamal’, Nabin Prakash Jung Shah, former vice-chancellor of the TU, Rameshwor Upadhaya, the NUTA general secretary, Ram Prasad Adhikary, the NUTA secretary, Prakash Singh Pradhan former general secretary of the NUTA, and journalists and president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Bishnu Nisturi, Harihar Birahi, Basant Gautam and Ananda Dev Bhatta were among those held. About 50 rallyists were held, the NUTA said.

Professor Dr Hari Prasad Gautam, president of the Mahendra Sanskrit University Teachers’ Association, Shatrughan Prasad Gupta and Shiba Prasad Munakarmi, addressing a corner meet, called for the rollback of the royal takeover and the restoration of civil liberties. Demanding that intellectuals be given an opportunity to exercise full academic freedom, the speakers called for the protection of professional rights.

“We will intensify the educational movement if the government does not release the arrested rallyists, Shatrughan Prasad Gupta,” the NUTA member, warned.

Calling for the establishment of full democracy, district chapters of the teachers union also organised protest rallies in all the district headquarters.

Meanwhile, activists of the eight students unions also took out a rally against autocracy in Mangal Bazaar in the evening.

The student bodies also condemned the arrest of student activists Nabin Bimali, Santosh Karki, Gopal Sapkota, Prakash Subedi, Raju Gautam and alleged that the arrested were beaten up in the custody.

The student bodies demanded the release the detainees and urged educational institutes to bar the supporters of February 1 royal takeover.