Siraha/Sarlahi, November 20:

While government offices and schools remained closed in Siraha district for the second day today due to a strike called by civil servants and teachers demanding security, offices in Sarlahi too were shut for an indefinite period from today following the manhandling of an government employee there by Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) activists on Monday.

A Joint Struggle Committee of government employees and teachers had decided to close all government and non-government offices in Siraha for 12 days from Monday after the government did not address their six-point demand.

Civil servants in Sarlahi shut all government offices in the district for an indefinite period from today after MJF activists manhandled Local Development Officer Bindu Prasad Guragai on Monday.

President of the Nepal Civil Servants’ Association, Sarlahi, Naresh Jha said the bandh was organized for the sake of the security of all government employees.

The District Administration Office, the District Development Committee office and other government offices including banks and non-government offices will remain shut till there is a guarantee of security for civil servants, Jha said.

The second day of the bandh saw government offices, educational institutions, non-government offices and offices of corporations shut in Siraha today.

Hundreds of people seeking services in these offices were affected due to the closure.

Meanwhile, a Joint Struggle Committee in Rajbiraj of Saptari sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the Chief District Officer today reminding him of the agreement reached between the government and the committee even though the deadline to implement the same has passed.

The all-party committee formed under the coordination of Dev Narayan Yadav to protest the murder of Nayab Subba at Saptari DDC Prabhu Narayan Yadav met CDO Ganesh Bahadur Khatri to hand over the memorandum.

An agreement had been reached between the eastern regional administrator Narendra Dahal and representatives of the committee, following an 11-day closure of government offices in the district after Yadav’s killing, to meet the committee’s seven-point demand by November 16.

Saying that the government has met only one demand — to declare Yadav a martyr — so far, the committee has given the government 48 hours to meet the demands or it will announce fresh agitation.