UN rights agency slams Nepal govt

Among the more than 400 arrested were women activists and university teachers, police said.

"In the process of stopping the protestors from heading towards restricted areas, we arrested women and University Teachers Association members," a police officer told AFP.

Witnesses said the police charged the crowd of women with batons, injuring several.

The police response to the daily protests drew a rebuke from Ian Martin, Nepal representative of the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, who asked the government to avoid excessive use of force.

"With regard to the police response to continuing protests in Kathmandu, OHCHR has received information on incidents of police throwing stones at demonstrators leading to injuries," the UN agency said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement also said police had fired tear gas near hospitals and schools and made arrests on questionable legal grounds.

The protests have brought thousands to the streets daily since Maoist rebels earlier this month announced a unilateral ceasefire aimed at winning support from political parties for a joint challenge to the king.