Police arrested six student leaders, including the president of the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), on July 15, 2026, for staging a protest and parking motorcycles in a prohibited area outside the southern gate of Singha Durbar.
According to Pawan Bhattarai, Superintendent of Police (SP) at the Kathmandu District Police Range, the student leaders were arrested for demonstrating in a restricted area. Those arrested include ANNFSU President Dipak Dhami, Election Commission Chair Jit Prasad Sitaula, Secretariat Member Bishal Khadka, Bagmati Valley Special Province Coordinator Ravi Magar, Central Committee Member Bishnu Uparkoti, and National Law Committee Secretary Sudip Thapa.
ANNFSU stated that the protest was organized to denounce what it described as increasing state repression. Demonstrators carried placards reading “Stop State Terror,” “The Voices of the Poor Cannot Be Silenced,” and “Singha Durbar, Beware,” while chanting slogans. The protest briefly disrupted traffic in the area.
The Kathmandu District Police Range said the arrested student leaders have been held at the Singha Durbar Police Circle, and legal proceedings have been initiated against them.