Police authorities in Kathmandu are facing flak from residents following a drive targeting young boys and a few girls for keeping long hair and wearing earrings.

On Monday, police detained 711 persons including three girls as part of a campaign to bring down incidents of theft, loot and other criminal activities.

But instead of taking action based on past records of those detained, the main criterion behind the action was the length of their hair and their appearance.

After rounding them up from all corners of the city the police took down names, fingerprints and photos of the detainees before releasing them. Some also had their hair cut by the police.