Mahendranagar, August 20

After Kailali, the agitation seeking a separate Tharuhat province in the new federal structure has also spread to Kanchanpur, where police detained four agitators trying to obstruct vehicular movement today.

Police had taken into control Tharuhat cadres from Bhansi area of Bhimdatta municipality-3 while the latter were trying to obstruct vehicles plying on the highway defying the general strike called for today. The strike was held to pile pressure on the government to fulfil their demand of a separate Tharuhat province comprising Tarai districts from Kanchanpur to Chitwan.

The agitators clashed with police for some time before the four were detained. They have been kept at the district police office for vandalising vehicles.Kirti Bahadur Thapa, central member of Tharuhat Tarai Party, one of the parties of the agitating alliance, accused the police of using force. He further warned the movement would be stern with transport entrepreneurs daring to operate their vehicles during the general strike. “As part of our agitation, we will obstruct vehicular movements on the highway by organising sit-downs at a number of places on the highway till Friday and will resort to round-the-clock halt of vehicular movement if our demands are not met by Saturday,” he said.