Monday, March 28 2005 20:40 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: Police today (Mar 28, 2005) arrested over 150 protestors, including senior leaders of Nepali Congress, for holding demonstrations across the country against the royal takeover and demanding restoration of democracy, party sources said.

Eighty activists, including former Minister of State for Finance Chinkaji Shrestha, former MP Shiva Prasad Humagain and NC Kathmandu Town Committee chairman Surendra Mishra were arrested from Singhdurbar Secretariat, which houses the Prime Minister's office, while shouting slogans against the King.

This was the first time after imposition of emergency that the anti-king demonstrations were held in the highly sensitive area where the Supreme Court, the National News Agency, the Rashtriya Banijya Bank and Supreme Court Bar association are also located.

Eleven people including former MP and NC leader Lekhnath Acharya were arrested from Rolpa district while staging anti-King demonstrations and 20 including Nepal Women's Organization Dang district president Anita Devkota were arrested from Dang district.

Anita was allegedly beaten by the police while she was giving an interview to reporters, party sources said.

Six Nepali Congress workers were arrested from Kaski, 14 from Tanahun, 5 from Parsa, 10 from Makawanpur, 2 from Jhapa, 8 including six women from Banke and 2 from Chitawan.

In another development, security personnel today released 84 year-old Nepali Congress leader and former Minister Balabahadur Rai after two weeks in detention. He was arrested while leading an anti-King demonstration in Kathmandu on March 14, a Nepali Congress statement said.