Dhangadi, Feb 23 (IANS): Kanchanpur Police in Nepal detained six persons, including women rights activist Sharada Chand, while they were staging a protest demanding justice for a rape victim when Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli was there to lay the foundation stone of an industrial estate on Tuesday.

The arrested have been kept in Jhalari Area Police Office. The arrested had donned t-shirts that read "Where are Nirmala's killers?" and "Provide justice to Nirmala", the Himalayan Times reported.

Nirmala Panta was raped and subsequently murdered. Her body was found in a sugarcane field of Bhimdatta Municipality, Kanchanpur, on July 27, 2018. Police are yet to book the guilty in the rape and murder case.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli directed the police to book people involved in Panta's case as early as possible. PM Oli directed police to do what is needed to arrest the perpetrators behind the heinous crime.

"I am glad that police were able to book the guilty behind Bhagirathi Bhatta's rape and killing. I want police to intensify the probe into Nirmala's rape and murder, and bring the perpetrator to book," Oli said.