Pokhara, January 28:

Five students were injured in a clash between the police and the students affiliated to the seven agitating political parties in Pokhara this afternoon. Police had intervened in a torch rally being organised by the student bodies against the upcoming municipal polls.

When the torch rally that started from the Prithvi Narayan Campus reached the Taxi chowk, the police personnel and students pelted stones at each other.

According to the secretary of Nepal Students’ Union, Kaski, Saroj KC, Bharat Thapa and Dev Kumar Parajuli of NSU; and Rajendra Poudel, Rishi Subedi and Somnath Poudel of the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union were injured in the clash.

The students also organised a corner meet in front of the PN Campus. Addressing the meet, student leaders urged all people to boycott the civic polls.

Meanwhile, plainclothes security personnel arrested CPN-UML youth leader and former president of ANNFSU, Rabindra Adhikari, from his residence at Malepatan in Pokhara-6 this morning.

A report from Nepalgunj said that the police arrested the Free Students’ Union secretary of Mahendra Multiple Campus, Nepalgunj, Khagendra Khanal, from in front of the Sneh hotel. The police had arrested 10 students from the campus premises on Friday. All 10 students were released today.

Another report from Bardiya said police today intervened in a peaceful demonstration of the seven-party alliance and arrested 20 leaders and activists of various political parties from Gulariya, the headquarter of Bardiya district.

Those arrested include CPN-UML Bheri zonal committee secretary Laxman Gyawali, former MP Khaga Raj Sharma, former mayor Govinda Pande, district chairman of the All Nepal Women’s Union Bina Gyawali; and Prem Pokhrel, Indra Bahadur Rawal, Kalpana Gyawali, Kushmand Sharma, Krishna KC and Hari Regmi of the UML.

Similarly, central member of the Nepal Women’s Union Malati Sodari and district president Radha Sharma; FSU president of Babai Multiple Campus Jyoti Panthi; Bhawani Kandel and Bishnu Adhikari of the NC; convention representative of NC(D) Bidhya Prasad Khanal and Jag Prasad Pande of the same party; Keshav Poudel and Balram Gautam of Janamorcha Nepal; and the district chairman of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Ananad Devi) Bindu Devi Shreewastav were also arrested.

The police also arrested the family members Nankur Ram Bhuji - wife Ram Devi, son Yogendra, daughter Puja, and brother Nanku and sister Kamala - a candidate for the chairmanship of ward number 6 of Gulariya municipality. The police also held the wife of Baidha Nath Ahir, a candidate for the post of a ward member, and the mother of Ghana Shyam Kurmi, another poll candidate.