Tension ran high in Baluwatar on Sunday when youths from various student bodies clashed with police while protesting against Rastra Bank’s Governor Mahaprasadh Adhikari seeking his resignation.

Students bodies with political affiliations with various parties such as CPN Unified Socialist, Nepali Congress and Maoist Centre raised slogans against Adhikari outside Nepal Rastra Bank in Baluwatar.

The police soon intervened in the protest deeming it unruly since the protestors had started entering prohibited areas on the Nepal Rastra Bank’s premises. The police have detained some youths at the protest site.

The recent controversy surrounding the central bank governor started when CPN-UML listed one “M Adhikari” as one of the members of the party’s finance and planning department, which is headed by Standing Committee member Ghanashyam Bhusal.

Soon after the list became public last Sunday, it stirred controversy with many politicians claiming that the person on the list was none other than Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari. Ruling party lawmakers speaking in Parliament on Wednesday and Thursday demanded that Governor Adhikari should resign immediately on moral grounds.

Amid the controversy, Governor Adhikari on Wednesday wrote to the UML office secretary asking the party to clarify the matter and clear the confusion about ‘mistaken identity.’ Bhisma Adhikari, the UML’s office secretary, responded by saying the person on the party’s list is not the governor without detailing the true identity of M Adhikari.

The protest in Baluwatar was led by members of the Nepal Student Union affiliated with different political parties and other youth-based student groups.

Here are some photos of the protest on Sunday taken by Post’s photographer Keshav Thapa.