Rupandehi, January 23:

The students’ joint agitation committee staged a bandh in Butwal today to protest police repression and press for release of student leaders.

The bazaar was shut the whole day. Students held the protest programme from morning to afternoon and burnt tyres on the roads. Police made several baton charges and fired teargas shells to break up the students’ protest.

Passersby and journalists were also injured when security men made baton charges. A large number of student leaders including Bishnu Pokhrel, Dharmjung Thapa were injured in the incident. The police have detained Bishnu Pokhrel, Suresh Bhusal, Nirmal Bhusal, Shramik Neupane, Himlal Bhandari, Suraj Sharma and Kamal Aryal. They have been taken to the area police office, Butwal.

In the fracas, businessmen Amrit Bhattarai and Ghanashyam Pandey were also scooped up and taken to the area police office. Six student leaders are detained at the ward police office, students claimed. The ward police office declined to give the names of the detained students.

Meanwhile, the eight student leaders arrested on Sunday are being held in the area police office, Butwal. They have goneon a hunger strike to protest the misbehaviour of the police personnel, Prajapal Giri, a student leader, said.