The demonstrators poured out of a labyrinth of alleys and temples to challenge soldiers and police. Tourists were forced to shelter in guesthouses and hotels as clashes ensued in which the two sides hurled bricks at each other.
Police in riot gear arrested at least 300 people and drove them off to detention, according to local reporters from the Kantipur and Nepalnews online news services.
The government of King Gyanendra is struggling to keep control of a rapidly deteriorating situation. He has lost the support of Nepal’s democratic parties and is facing a rural Maoist insurgency that is entering its 10th year, with a death toll of 12,000 people.
Nepal’s latest slide into anarchy began last February when the king resumed the absolute powers given up by King Birendra, his assassinated predecessor. Gyanendra suspended civil liberties and ordered the arrests of hundreds of politicians and journalists.
British, American and Indian diplomats have all urged the king to restore democracy as a first step to defeating the Maoists, but the leaders of Nepal’s five principal parties remain under house arrest.