Wednesday, April 5 2006 11:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: In a major crackdown ahead of tomorrow's (Apr 6, 2006) anti-King general strike by opposition parties, police today arrested some 40 protestors from the Nepalese captial and took into custody several political leaders after raiding their houses.

Police baton charged and arrested at least 40 journalists, human rights activists, doctors and university students who took out a rally in Kathmandu defying the royal government's ban orders on demonstrations on the eve of the massive protests and four-day general strike announced by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) to end King Gyanendra's rule.

As soon as hundreds of journalists and civil society activists rallied in Nayabaneshwor area of the capital, police intervened and made the arrests.

A senior journalist and a lawyer were also injured in the police action, a member of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said.

Those arrested from the rally, organised by People's Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD), include Nepal Bar Association President and PAPAD chairman Sambhu Thapa, FNJ President Bishnu Nisthuri, Nepal University Teachers Association president Bhupati Dhakal and civil society leader Mahesh Maskey, according to FNJ sources.

President of South Asian Federation of Media Association (SAFMA) Gopal Thapaliya and President of Kathmandu Bar Association Yogendra Adhikari were seriously injured in the police action.

Party sources said houses of several leaders were raided in the wee hours by security forces who arrested at least 20 political leaders.