KATHMANDU, July 15: Police detained seven student leaders on Wednesday after they staged a symbolic protest by parking motorcycles outside the main gate of Singha Durbar, a restricted area in Kathmandu.
Those detained include Deepak Dhami, president of the All Nepal National Free Students' Union (ANNFSU), the student wing affiliated with the CPN-UML, along with six other activists.
Police took them into custody after they parked their motorcycles across the road outside Singha Durbar, obstructing traffic.
Helipad to be constructed inside Singha Durbar
According to ANNFSU, those detained are central president Deepak Dhami, Jit Prasad Sitaula, Bishal Khadka, Ravi Magar, Bishnu Uparkoti, Sudip Thapa and Siris Budhathoki.
The student leaders said the protest was a symbolic response to the recent incident in which vehicles were parked outside media houses, allegedly to intimidate the press, and what they described as growing state repression.
Prakash Bista, chair of ANNFSU's Policy, Planning and Research Commission, said the demonstration was aimed at protesting what he called the government's "undemocratic and irresponsible" actions.
"We were simply helping the government," Bista said sarcastically. "We wanted to teach them how to park, since they apparently don't know. The government itself created fear by parking vehicles outside media houses and causing distress to people from all walks of life."
He added that the students were compelled to take to the streets in protest of the government's actions and warned that similar demonstrations would continue in the coming days.
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