Siraha, February 2:

Different districe administration offices have handed over 90-day arrest warrants to some 60 persons who were arrested yesterday from rallies taken out to protest against the February 1 royal takeover, which the parties called Black Day.

In Sarlahi, the DAO issued 90-day-long arrest warrants to 12 of 19 activists of seven-party alliance who were arrested from the demonstration marking ‘Black Day’ yesterday.

Among those given the arrest warrant in accusation of disturbing law and order were former MP Bhikhari Mansur, Laxman Poudel and Mohammad Rijwan Ansari of CPN-UML and former vice chairmen, Raj Kumar Upreti and Basanta Bhattarai.

Eight other party activists and leaders arrested yesterday were released today.

Similarly, the Siraha district administration today handed over arrest warrants under the Public Security Act to 25 of the 26 protesters arrested from Siraha and Lahan yesterday. 21 of them have been given a 90-day arrest warrant.

Member of CPN-UML Sagarmatha Zonal Committee, Dharma Nath Shah, UML district secretary Ram Chandra Yadav, under secretary Lila Nath Shrestha and district secretary of NC Jeewacha Gupta are being kept at District Police Office, Siraha. Others including two women are being held at Siraha prison.

Also today, in response to separate habeas corpus writs filed in the Appellate Court Rajbiraj, the court ordered the defendant to produce 31 persons arrested from a rally yesterday within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, in Bara, the District Security Committee has given three-month-long arrest warrant to six activists of seven-party alliance today.

Among those given the warrant are Rajendra Jaiswal, Rabindra Singh, Bharat Raut, Jit Bahadur Timilsina, Rajesh Kumar Patel and Deependra Patel. They were sent to Birgunj jail. They were arrested from their homes and other places of Kalaiya early this morning.

In Nuwakot, 23 out of 35 demonstrators arrested yesterday were given three-month-long arrest warrant with orders from DAO. They are being kept at the hall of Regional Training Centre.

Among those given arrest warrant were Raju Thapa of NC, Narayan Prasad Khatiwada and Ram Kumar Basnet of CPN-UML, Dhruba Adhikari of NC-D and students Jagadish Kuikel and Jeewan Ghimire.

They were arrested from demonstration to mark February 1 as ‘Black Day’ yesterday.