Kathmandu, Feb. 5 -- The final rites of Ram Manohar Yadav, the Free Madhes activist who died in police custody five months ago, was performed in his home village of Kapasi in Banke district amid a tense scene after police seized his body and arrested dozens of supporters who had come to his funeral.

Ram Manohar's body was retrieved from the hospital in Kathmandu on Sunday and was being ferried to Banke by his brother, Bishu Yadav, and three other locals.

However, the ambulance van and the casket was stopped and seized by police officers at the Kohalpur Area Station on Monday morning, leading to a day-long protest in the area.

Hours before the incident, police in Banke had also arrested a large number of Free Madhes supporters who had c...