CPN-UML cadres have taken to the streets following the party Secretariat meeting’s decision to launch a nationwide agitation protesting the arrest of party chair and former prime minister KP Sharma Oli.

The Babarmahal–Maitighar–Bijulibazar stretch turned into a virtual battleground on Saturday afternoon as protesters, including members of various UML-affiliated sister organisations, clashed with police.

Protesters gathered at Maitighar from 3:00 pm, demanding Oli’s immediate release and the resignation of newly appointed Home Minister Sudan Gurung.

The agitating group vandalised road dividers and burnt tyres in the middle of the road, bringing vehicular traffic to a complete standstill. Police personnel struggled to contain the crowd as cadres piled up dividers and set them ablaze.

Clashes were also reported at Bhrikutimandap, where activists from the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU), the party’s student wing, held a separate rally to condemn the arrest of the former prime minister.

Oli, along with former home minister Ramesh Lekhak, was taken into custody on charges related to the state’s alleged suppression of the “Gen Z” protest in September.