Dhading, February 27:

Maoists today freed as many as 150 students and teachers, whom they had abducted from different places in Dhading a week ago.

Separate groups of Maois-ts had abducted a teacher of the Khalte-based Mahendrodaya lower secondary school, Ram Hari Nepali, and teachers and students of schools based in Dhuwa-kot, Katunje, Baseri, Budhadhun and Mulpani.

Rights activists, journalists, lawyers, and representatives of professional organisations had urged the Maoists to release the abductees. Meanwhile, security personnel have labelled the district-based human rights activists as the ‘Maoists’ after they held interaction with the OHCHR officials on the rights situation in Dhading.

A three- member team led by senior human rights official of the Kathmandu-based OHCHR, Brita Madson, had visited Dhading this week and held discussions with media persons, rights activists, representatives of the civic society, political activists and security officials on the human rights situations in Dhading.