NEFIN's bandh gets early start with vandalism in capital

THT ONLINE

KATHMANDU: Once again businesses, marketplaces, transportation, academic institutions have down their shutters during the nation-wide bandh on Sunday called by Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities.

Bandh enforcers since early morning have descended on roads to obstruct vehicular movement, and as reported, also resorted to vandalism at different places in the capital.

They obstructed the vehicles of media persons as an endeavor to make their bandh successful. The banda enforcers prevented the media persons from travelling in vehicles though they had programmed not to obstruct press, ambulance, and vehicles of diplomatic missions.

An unruly gang vandalised a vehicle of Kantipur Television ( Ba 1 Cha 5537) at Jorpati.

Similarly, demonstrators pelted stones at the vehicle of Avenues TV(BA 1 Cha 4558) at Chabahil and Tinchule.

Bandh supporters also burnt a motorcycle( Ba 20 Pa 3899) belonging to the cameraman of the Himalaya TV, Y P Ghimire, at Gwarko in the morning.

Meanwhile, a disorderly mob forcefully entered some of the closed shops in Patan and threw out the vegetables on the road.

According to police, sixteen bandh enforcers have been held from Chabahil, Bouddha and Thamel.

Image TV’s scribe Hari Sharma has been also manhandled by the agitating riots in Nawalparasi.

NEFIN has enforced the strike to press the government and political parties for ethnic federalism and to incorporate the rights of indigenous nationalities in the new statute.

Only 8 days are left to promulgate the new constitution.

Commuters have been obliged to walk long distances to reach their destinations as public vehicles stayed off the road due to the fear of retribution, as the bandh enforcers are fanning out to the streets.

Cabbies and bikers are also driving through the inner streets as NEFIN supporters have assembled at main chowks in the Valley ‘to stop the people defying bandh’.