Fresh protests erupt in Nepal

Students shouting 8216;8216;Death to Gyanendra8217;8217; charged at riot police in the Tribhuvan University campus here. Carrying a Communist Party flag, hundreds of students hurled rocks at police. Some beat up a constable who got separated from his comrades.

8216;8216;Vacate Narayanhiti, Democratic Republic is arriving,8217;8217; some activists shouted, referring to the royal palace in Kathmandu. 8216;8216;We want Democracy8217;8217;, 8220;Down with Gyanendra8221;, 8216;8216;Gyanendra leave the country8217;8217;, others chanted while some student activists taunted riot police.

In Kirtipur, just outside Kathmandu, protesters blocked roads to prevent police reinforcements before marching through the town shouting slogans against the King. 8216;8216;We are being peaceful and we will do everything peacefully to get our rights back,8217;8217; said Om Thapliyal, a Kirtipur activist.

The latest campaign is backed by Nepal8217;s Maoist insurgents but the rebels are not taking part in the protests and have announced an indefinite ceasefire in the Kathmandu region to help the political demonstrations.

The main rally is due in Kathmandu on Saturday, April 8, the day multi-party democracy was established in Nepal 16 years ago.