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Pro Maoist students close down engineering campuses

All Nepal National Independent Students Union (Revolutionary) - the pro-Maoist student union - have announced closure of all engineering campuses across the country from today demanding immediate release of its activists arrested in Tuesday’s scuffle with Nepal Student’s Union activists.

The pro-Maoist student organization said the police have arrested dozens of its activists during the violent scuffle that erupted between students of ANNISU-R and Nepali Congress aligned NSU in Thapathali Engineering Campus Tuesday after the latter handed over the weapons belonging to the Maoist students to the police. The students of the two groups clashed with each other in various colleges yesterday also due to which many parts of Kathmandu remained tensed throughout the day

Furthermore, ANNISU-R general secretary Himal Sharma has warned of disrupting classes in all campuses across the country from tomorrow and an indefinite educational strike by announcing a closure of all educational institutions a day after that.

Meanwhile, NSU is taking out a demonstration rally today to protest the thrashing of its activists by the pro-Maoist students.

Although the two students have had some dialogue, there has not been any major breakthrough. NSU has publicly said the possibility of such dialogue with ANNISU-R would remain slim until it doesn’t bring major changes in its behavior. nepalnews.com ag Aug 16 07