Nepali troops killed a demonstrator today west of the capital after opening fire on massive protests against King Gyanendra's absolute rule.
Thousands of activists in Pokhara fought pitched battles with troops who fired dozens of tear gas shells, witnesses said.
Yogesh Bhattarai, a senior leader of the Communist Party of Nepal (UML), said a man was shot in the resort town about 200 km (125 miles) west of Kathmandu, during a pro-democracy rally.
"He was shot in his head and he died instantly," he said.
The army said in a statement the killing occurred after troops opened fire in self defence when protesters tried to attack a telephone office in Pokhara.
The killing, the second such in two months, was expected to further stoke passions in the Himalayan country where troops rarely shoot protesters despite regular demonstrations against the king since he took power last year, analysts said.
The violence occurred on the 16th anniversary of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom, sandwiched between Asian giants India and China, where mainstream political parties began a four-day nationwide general strike and protests on Thursday.
The parties had planned a massive show of strength with a big rally in the heart of Kathmandu today.
But stringent security, which included armoured personnel carriers with machine gun-wielding soldiers, blocked access to the venue and foiled their plans.
However, dozens of young activists on the outskirts of the city briefly defied the curfew and clashed with riot police.
"Gyanendra leave the country", "Death to Gyanendra", "Long Live Democratic Republic", the youths shouted before pelting stones at riot police. The police responded by charging at them with batons and firing tear gas shells to disperse them.
The parties said they would hold more protests tomorrow.