A/HRC/7/68 page 10 37. Protection concerns were also raised regarding risks of violence and exploitation facing children under 18 who participate in rallies and protests. At least five young people under 18 were killed, mostly by the police, and others injured in protests in 2007. F. Right to liberty, physical integrity and due process Arrest and detention by State authorities 38. During its regular visits to police stations and from other sources, OHCHR received around 100 allegations of ill-treatment and sometimes of torture of criminal suspects, at times witnessing injuries consistent with the allegations. Methods included beatings and near-drowning. One detainee reportedly died as a result of torture in custody of the Nepal Police. Several detainees were threatened to not talk to OHCHR and on several occasions detainees were reportedly hidden prior to OHCHR visits. OHCHR also noted that certain practices common during the conflict occasionally reappeared, mostly in connection with detained individuals accused of belonging to armed groups. These included several cases of unacknowledged detention, beatings, release in return for “surrender” (the detainee undertaking not to rejoin the armed group), failure to observe court orders regarding releases and one case of an extrajudicial execution after arrest. 39. The most serious case of illegal detention by police relates to four individuals accused of involvement in the Kathmandu bombings. The four were held in secret, unacknowledged detention for up to 11 days, during which police denied to OHCHR that they were holding them. OHCHR was also initially denied access to them after their detention was acknowledged. Despite OHCHR information confirming their arrest on 10 and 11 September, police subsequently recorded the arrest date as the day they appeared before a judge. They were reportedly beaten while held in unacknowledged detention, and reportedly signed, under duress, confessions or documents which they were unable to read. These concerns were raised with the highest police authorities. 40. The Armed Police Force became increasingly involved in arrests related to armed groups, and some detainees were illegally held and interrogated by them. The Armed Police Force does not have the power to detain or interrogate, nor do they have detention facilities or registers, thus creating the conditions for violations of the right not to be arbitrarily detained and the right to due process. In December 2007, in response to the activities of armed groups and criminal gangs, special task forces, which included Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel, were deployed to eight Terai and three Kathmandu districts. Arrests of suspected criminals, including alleged armed group members, were made by the special task forces. At times, the obligation to respect legal procedures, especially arrest and detention procedures, appeared to be subordinated to the need for rapid, visible results in tackling insecurity. Some detainees were also allegedly beaten. However, measures have not amounted to the indiscriminate crackdown that was originally feared. Senior police officials have informed OHCHR that they are making efforts to address violations, but those efforts need to be considerably reinforced to eradicate the practices and to institutionalize changed behaviour. 41. Although the majority of CPN(M)-linked detainees arrested during the conflict and imprisoned under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance