KATHMANDU: At least 20 cadres of a banned Maoist group have been arrested in Nepal for staging protests against India's new political map.
The students, linked with the Nepal Communist Party -- a splinter Maoist faction led by Netra Bikram Chand 'Biplav' -- were arrested at Maitighar area, a senior police official said.
The party on November 6 announced to launch protests condemning India's new political map which reportedly showed Kalapani as part of its territory.
The Nepal government on Wednesday said that the Kalapani area situated in the country's far-West lies within the Nepalese boundary.
India on Thursday said the new map issued by it last week accurately depicts its sovereign territory and it has in no manner revised its boundary with Nepal.
India last week released fresh maps of the newly-created Union Territories (UTs) of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and the map of India depicting these UTs.
In the maps, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is part of Jammu and Kashmir, while Gilgit-Baltistan is in Ladakh.
The Nepal government said that media reports drew its attention to the Kalapani area being included in the new Indian map.
Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Saturday called an all-party meeting at the Prime Minister's residence to discuss the issue.
During the meeting, former prime ministers and senior leaders of various political parties asked him to take effective measures and initiate high-level political dialogue to resolve the issue.