KATMANDU, Nepal, April 5 (UPI) -- Police in Nepal reportedly have detained scores of opposition leaders and activists, including four former ministers, on the eve of a general strike.
In defiance of the government's ban on political rallies, more than 100 activists gathered in Katmandu Wednesday morning, the BBC reported.
Those arrested include some 40 prominent journalists, lawyers, professors and doctors.
Communist Party leader Rajendra Pandey told news agencies that some 20 leaders were arrested in their homes by plainclothes police officers Wednesday morning.
The former ministers arrested were Bimalendra Nidhi, Subas Nemwang, Raghu Pant and Keshav Badal.
The royal government has made no comment about the crackdown.
The seven-party opposition alliance has called for a four-day nationwide shutdown beginning Thursday and a rally in Katmandu on Saturday. The government has refused to give permission for the protests, claiming that Maoist rebels, who are loosely connected to the alliance, will incite violence.
Some opposition leaders say the planned protests will go ahead despite the government ban. The opposition alliance is demanding an end to emergency rule in the country.
