Himalayan News Service

Pokhara, March 28:

Several Nepali Congress and CPN-UML cadres from various districts were arrested today from their respective party offices or from the rally site where they were protesting against the February 1 move. Reports from Dang said that police arrested 20 Nepali Congress and two CPN-UML cadres today. Seven NC cadres were arrested from the party office where as the others were held while protesting at a rally. The CPN-UML said that two of its cadres were arrested from its office. According to the NC district vice-chairman, Kaman Singh Dangi, district secretary Shankar Giri, District Organisation Department chief Keshav Acharya and Tarul Dal central member Basudev Jungali were among the arrested. The rally which started from New Road chanted slogans against the February 1 move. The police, however, intervened when the rally reached Bank Road.

The NC Tanahun chairman, Raghunath Poudel, along with one-and-a-half dozen cadres were arrested for staging a rally at Damauli. The arrested cadres included NC district working committee members Rudra Bahadur Sen, Kiran Poudel and Raghu Bahadur KC, among others. They were taken to the District Police Office after the cadres started shouting slogans in front of the District Administration Office. In Jhapa, security forces arrested four NC cadres who had gone to the DAO to hand over a memorandum against the February 1 move and demanded the restoration of democracy. The cadres are Purna Nanda Sharma,Ramesh Shrestha and Anuj Khadha and NSU’s Uma Shivakoti.

Police also arrested three NC cadres who were protesting on the premises of DAO, Kaski, demanding the restoration of democracy and respect for human rights. Mani Lal Gurung, 83, Ram Chandra Tripathi and Tarka Bahadur KC were arrested. The party had organised a sit-in at the gate of District Administration Office though it is also staging a joint movement with other political parties.