Conflicting statements from bandh organisers cause panic

Itahari, October 6:

Hundreds of bus passengers have been stranded here due to the indefinite bandh called by different agitating groups.

These passengers were brought here in as many as 30 buses under police escort.

With some outfits saying, through press statements, that the bandh has been withdrawn and the others saying it remains in force, these people do not know which group to believe.

The stranded passengers stayed clustered outside the Itahari area police office the whole day. Lalita Karki, who came here all the way from Bhojpur via Dharan five days ago to perform the last rites of her father-in-law, said, “We were relieved to hear that

the bandh had been withdrawn. We were supposed to return today, but the bandh is keeping

us stuck.”

After hearing that the bandh had been withdrawn, passengers from Kathmandu, Pokhara, Narayanghat and Dharan started off for the eastern region and arrived in Itahari, only to find themselves over a barrel.

The wrangling among the agitating outfits and the absence of vehicles have left the travellers helpless.

Late in the evening, though, police personnel managed to send a few vehicles under escort till as far as Belbari.

A central committee member of the Federal Limbuwan Rajya Parishad, Janak Chemjong, issued a statement yesterday, saying that the Parishad had withdrawn its bandh because the constituent assembly (CA) elections had been postponed.

However, there was no respite from the east bandh programme after president of the Federal Democratic National Forum Kumar Lingden said in a press statement that the east bandh remained in force.

Though bazaars opened in Itahari and Dharan, where the Parishad holds sway, life remained paralysed in the region east of Itahari and Dharan. Stranded passengers have appealed to the forum to withdraw the bandh in view of Dashain. They also accused the administration of being apathetic to their problems.

Meanwhile, Inaruwa of Sunsari district and areas west of the district remained totally affected due to the bandh called by the Biswas faction of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF-B).

An inspector at the Itahari area police office Vishwa Mani Pokhrel said security personnel have been deployed in Khanar and Duhabi of Sunsari after a clash ensued between factory workers and activists of the Biswas faction of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum yesterday.