KHANDBARI: Police today set free three persons detained on the charges of beating up a schoolteacher in Mamling village development committee last month.

Tirtha Gurung, Manoj Adhikari and Amrit Rai have been released from police custody. Nepal Students' Union, aligned to the Nepali Congress, has said the police set the youths free under the direction of Home Minister Bhim Bahadur Rawal.

Countering the allegations on Home Minister's interference in the matter, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Shekar Koirala claimed that it was not done under the pressure of the minister. "The three, who attacked the teacher, have been freed," Koirala said. "No dossier could be collected against them. Everyone is free to walk with a khukuri, they are reported to have attacked the teacher but no one has filed a case against them."

However, Nepal Student's Union and Nepal Teacher's Union have protested the release of the youths without any legal prosecution. In separate press releases, both organisations condemned the incident of freeing the culprits. They have also demanded the immediate arrest of the youths.

Further, Nepal Teacher's Union called a shutdown of all educational institutions in the district in protest. Owing to the bandh, all private and government schools and colleges in the district remained closed today.