A day marked by bandhs

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

POKHARA: Life across the nation was thrown out of the gear on the first day of the two-days bandh enforced by the Joint Struggle Committee comprising Brahmin, Chhetri, Thakuri, Dasnami, Dalit and others against the ethno federalism today.

The bandh also witnessed some untoward incidents. Business organisations, educational institutions, industries remained closed while vehicles stayed off the road.

Meanwhile, two bandh enforcers were critically injured in a clash with the local businessmen in Pokhara-19 Chhorepatan. Local youths had assaulted bandh enforcers Narendra Karki and Rajendra Pathak when they tried to force the shops in the area shut. The injured are undergoing treatment at Manipal hospital. According to Mohan Poudel, spokesperson, Joint struggle committee, they are preparing to send Karki to Kathmandu for treatment as his condition is critical.

Police lobbed 11 shells of tear gas when demonstrators attempted to throw away the board on which was written ‘Tamu Independent State’ at Prithivi Chowk, Pokhara.

According to Rabindra Poudel, spokesperson, District Police Office, Kaski, police detained 15 bandh enforcers in Pokhara and Lekhnath and seven youths from Chhorepatan who assaulted the bandh enforcers. Poudel informed that three policemen were injured when demonstrators hurled stones targeting them. Similarly, a group of 10 persons on motorcycles assaulted bandh enforcers in Makwanpur injuring Madhav Timalsina and Sunil Giri. Timalsina sustained head injury while Giri has was injured on the face. Bandh enforcers vandalised three motorcycles used by the assaulters. Police arrested two assaulters while the others are at large. Likewise, bandh enforcers vandalised three motorcycles in Hetauda.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded in various places of Dhading district as bandh enforcers obstructed the highway. They vandalised a bus and two motorcycles for defying the bandh in Dhadingbeshi.

Meanwhile, people of Muslim and Brahmin communities demonstrated in Kalaiya, while Muslims demonstrated in Jitpur of Bara district today. Bandh enforcers in Narayangadh and Bharatpur demonstrated by organising cultural rituals in the main chowks of the cities.

Bandh enforcers stopped about half a dozen tourist vehicles in Damauli for three hours. They snatched a key of a tourist bus in Borletar.

Meanwhile, life in Rautahat district was affected due to the bandh called by National Muslim Struggle Coalition. They did not allow vehicles to ply in the district and demonstrated in the city the whole day.