"Protests were organized by seven student unions in over a dozen campuses," a student of Ratna Rajya college, requesting anonymity, told AFP.

Demonstrators were shouting, "Down with the Royal Procla-mation!" and "Long live democracy!", the student said.

Dharma Koirala, assistant campus chief at Ratna Rajya college, said, "Riot police entered our campus to stop the protests but no one has been arrested."

The reports could not be confirmed by AFP correspondents due to censorship curbs imposed under the king's suspension of civil liberties.

The protests, banned since Gyanenda declared emergency rule last month, followed the arrests Tuesday of at least 176 political activists in Kathmandu and Nepal's southeast following large demonstrations, witnesses said.

Some 140 of those arrested in the southeast were freed Wednesday, government officials said, but 36 held in Kathmandu were still in detention.

Gyanendra seized control of the impoverished kingdom February 1, sacking the government, imposing emergency rule and vowing to tackle an increasingly deadly Maoist revolt. He has given himself three years to restore peace and democracy.

Gopal Upadhyay, head of the pro-left All Nepal National Free Students' Union of Ratna Rajya Campus Bal, urged students at a meeting to oppose the king's power grab and to press for the return of democracy, witnesses said.

Nepal's foreign minister, meanwhile, said in an interview published at the end of a three-day visit to India that Gyanendra took power to prevent the kingdom from becoming a "failed state" and to bring multi-party democracy "back on track".