Over 30 rights activists were arrested on Thursday in Nepal for staging a protest in front of the Indian Embassy over a blockade of border points they said was imposed by India resulting in an acute shortage of essential goods in the land-locked country.
The sit-in, second in a week, was organised by Human Rights and Peace Society and other rights groups as part of ten-day campaign coinciding with the 67th World Human Rights Day.
Around three dozen human rights activists were arrested for staging the protest in front of the Indian Embassy. Police said they would be released soon. Senior rights activist Krishna Pahadi was among those arrested during the protest.
The rights activists were carrying placards with slogans demanding an end to the alleged blockade by India. A placard being carried by a protester read, “(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, end blockade, respect our sovereignty” while another said, “Indian blockade is crime against humanity.
Pahadi and other human rights activists were detained for the same last week as well.
The protest comes as the blockade of the Indo-Nepal border trade points caused shortage of petroleum products, cooking gas and medicines among other things.