KATHMANDU: Police on Thursday has detained eight student leaders affiliated with the ruling Nepali Congress’s student wing, the Nepal Student Union (NSU), during a protest near the Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar.
The students were expressing solidarity with the ongoing agitation by the Nepal Teachers’ Federation in Kathmandu.
Those arrested include NSU central members Binod Raj Joshi, Vivek Acharya, Upashana Adhikari, Jitendra Timilsina (RR Campus Unit President), Sumit Bhattarai, Manish Bhattarai, Adarsh Tiwari, and Himal Bishta.
NSU spokesperson Suraj Sejuwal condemned the arrests, calling them undemocratic and an attack on peaceful protest rights.
“Raising our voices peacefully for issues like the Education Act, meritocracy in universities, and fair treatment of teachers is our constitutional right,” he said. “Until our arrested colleagues are unconditionally released, the movement will continue.”
Sejuwal also criticized Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s alleged unconstitutional interference, former Education Minister Bidya Bhattarai’s obstruction, and what he described as assaults on university autonomy. He demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the detained students.
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