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Top Nepal opposition leaders arrested
Nepal's top opposition leaders Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal were to mark the first anniversary of a protest movement.
Nepal's top opposition leaders Girija Prasad Koirala and Madhav Kumar Nepal were today arrested alongwith two other party activists ahead of a planned demonstration here to mark the first anniversary of a protest movement against the royal-appointed government, party sources said.
Nepali Congress President and former Prime Minister Koirala was arrested from his residence at Maharajgunj at 1.45 PM (local time) by the Armed Police Force personnel and CPN UML General Secretary Nepal was arrested from his residence at Koteshwor at the same time, party sources said.
CPN UML leader Bamdev Gautam and Nepali Congress Kathmandu district president Tirtha Ram Dangol were also arrested along with the two top opposition leaders.
They have now been kept at the Armed Police Force Headquarters at Halchowk in the outskirts of Kathmandu.
The police arrested them without any arrest warrant mainly to prevent them from attending the pro-democracy agitation programmes, a party activist said. MORE
The five agitating parties had organized protest rallies and public meeting to mark the first anniversary of their joint struggle to transfer power to the people.
In a separate incident, student organizations belonging to the five agitating parties burnt copies of the Security Act to protest the arrest of their colleagues by the police during the month-long agitation.
They also blocked vehicles in front of the campuses throughout the capital.
The agitating parties have been organizing protest rallies in different parts of the capital today defying the governments ban on such protest shows.
The five parties have asked King Gyanendra to withdraw the royal proclamation of October 2002, that vested sovereign and state authority upon him and form an all party government at the recommendation of the parties that has representation in the dissolved House of Representatives.
