Students Battle Police in Anti-Monarchy Protest

Hundreds of college students demanding that Nepal’s king restore democracy torched government cars and battled riot police in the capital Kathmandu today.

The students chanted anti-king slogans as they walked out of their classes. They set at least a half dozen cars on fire, then blocked streets with burning tyres and debris, disrupting morning rush-hour traffic.

At least 12 protesters were reported injured in a scuffle with riot police, who detained several students.

The protests were part of a continuing campaign by the country’s five largest political parties to demand that King Gyanendra restore the country’s elected government, which the king dismissed in October 2002 and replaced with one loyal to the monarchy.

The king dissolved parliament in October 2002 and fired Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, accusing him of incompetence and failing to control a Maoist insurgency. The king then assumed executive powers and replaced the government with pro-monarchy politicians.

Thousands have held frequent rallies across the country since then, and police have detained hundreds of protesters almost daily. Most have been released after questioning, but a handful are still in custody.