Over 600 pro-democracy activists, including several top leaders, were arrested and scores injured in Kathmandu on Tuesday in a police crackdown on protestors, who were marching towards the Royal Palace from different corners of the Nepalese capital.

Thousands of demonstrators, carrying party flags and chanting anti-King and pro-democracy slogans, broke police cordons to enter restricted areas at Ratnapark, Bhotahity, Bhrikutimandap and Baghbazaar.

Riot police, mobilised in large numbers to suppress the demonstrators, baton-charged the activists, sprayed water from fire engines and used tear gas shells, before dragging the protestors to police vans. About two dozen activists were injured in the clashes with the riot police, party sources said.

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Twenty students were injured as clashes continued in Mahendra Ratna Campus at Tahachal, where securitymen fired several rounds in the air to control anti-King demonstrations.

Nepali Congress (Democratic) acting president Gopalman Shrestha, Janamorcha Nepal president Amik Serchan, Nepali Congress central members Ramchandra Poudyal and Ramsharan Mahat, former home minister Khum Bahadur Khada and Nepal Communist Party central member Bam Dev Gautam were among those arrested on Tuesday, as the seven-party alliance intensified its pro-democracy agitation.

Nepali Congress office secretary Shobhakar Parajuli claimed at least 300 workers of the party were arrested. Over 200 workers of Nepali Congress (Democratic) and nearly 100 of the CPN-UML were also detained during the protests, party officials said.

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The seven-party alliance has launched daily protest rallies demanding restoration of democracy and civil rights for the past 10 days.

King Gyandra is scheduled to visit the central administrative zone from Wednesday. He had cancelled his visit to the United Nations and sent Foreign Minister Ramesh Pandey to lead the Nepalese delegation, following massive pro-democracy protests at home.

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