Dozens of students were arrested and some injured in Pokhara Sunday afternoon as police used force to bar students from holding a public hearing on “whether monarchy is really the need of the country”.

Police started beating up students and fired teargas cells to disperse them when they were preparing to hold the program at Prithivi Narayan Campus at about 11 am.

Students, in response to the police action, pelted stones and bricks. The scuffle that lasted for nearly three hours left dozens injured on both sides, seven of them seriously.

Four policemen and three students who sustained severe injuries are undergoing treatment at Gandaki Hospital, reports said. The injured students are identified as Sudeep Bhattrai, Kishwor Malla and Sudhir Poudel. Major city areas of the city remain closed following the incident.

Meanwhile, seven student organizations held a meeting this afternoon in the capital, concluding to intensify the ongoing movement.

Lauding today’s protests in Pokhara, student leaders demanded immediate release of Prem Luintel and Kumar Basnet who were arrested from Amrit Science Campus on Saturday evening.
nepalnews.com mbk Jan 25