Surkhet, January 20:

At least 50 people, who were taking part in protests called by political parties and student bodies against the arrest of political leaders from the capital yesterday and the imposition of curfew in different parts of the nation, were arrested today, reports said.

Students of the Birendranagar Campus and Education Campus staged a demonstration against the arrest of leaders and activists of different parties in the capital yesterday.

During the two-hour scuffle that followed when the police intervened in the protest at 8 am, 21 students were arrested. A number of students, including a central member of the ANNFSU, Tekendra Basnet, were injured in the baton-charge, Ghanashyam Pandey, a student leader, said.

Protesting the arrests, the students have called a Surkhet bandh tomorrow.

The Chitwan chapter of the Joint Students’ Struggle Committee took out a rally from the Lions’ Chowk in Narayangarh today to protest the arrest of political leaders and party activists in the capital.

The students organised an educational strike in all academic institutions of Dhading to protest against the imposition of curfew in the capital, a report from the district said.

Vehicular movement has come to a halt on the Tribhuvan Highway and Prithvi Highway.

Protesting the arrest of leaders in Kathmandu and enforcement of curfew, students and leaders of the agitating parties burnt tyres at the Damauli Main Chowk and Bhorletar Chowk at 9:10 am today, which led to disruption in vehicular movement on the Prithvi Highway for half-an-hour, a report from Tanahun said.

Students and party activists today took out a rally from the main gate of the Prithvi Narayan Campus against the arrest of party leaders and clamping down of curfew in the capital, a report from Pokhara said.

A report from Palpa said students burnt tyres on the premises of Tribhuvan Multiple Campus and at the Andolan Chowk today to protest the arrest of five local leaders of seven agitating parties yesterday.

A scuffle ensued between students and police in front of the campus when the latter tried to clear roadblocks placed by the students. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. The campus and shops at Tansen were closed following the showdown.

Calling on all to boycott the polls, activists of the seven parties organised a motorcycle rally in Butwal today, a report said. Police arrested 16 party activists, the report said.

Seven agitating parties have called for Biratnagar bandh tomorrow in protest of arrest of party leaders and activists and the imposition of curfew in different districts, Pitambar Dahal of the Nepali Congress said.Activists of the seven agitating parties staged a protest rally Biratnagar. Students padlocked the administrative blocks of the Mahendra Morang Campus and Masters’ Campus in protest of arrests of political leaders and imposition of curfew in the capital.

Student unions also organised a rally in Chandranigahapur, a report from Rautahat said. Eleven people, who were attending a corner meeting in Ghorahi, were arrested today.

Protesting against the arrest of leaders in capital yesterday, activists of the seven parties took out a rally from the Bheri zonal hospital, a report said.

President of the NSU, Gorkha, Nanda Prasad Neupane and chairman of the ANNFSU, Gorkha, Bipin Chandra Dhakal, issuing a statement today, demanded that the curfew be lifted and arrested leaders be freed.

Activists of the seven parties staged a rally against the arrests of party leaders, a report from Dharan said.