Kathmandu, April 18:

Student leader Basu Khadka was injured when police opened fire on demonstrators in Gaighat, the headquarters of Udaypur district. Khadka was shot on the leg and is undergoing treatment in the Gaighat district hospital. At least a do-zen demonstrators were also injured as they clashed with the police. The police opened fire after the agitators started vandalising the houses of DDC chairman Bodh Raj Singh Basnet and DDC vice chairman Ram Chandra Gupta. The police also fired in the air and teargassed the protesters.

In Sindhupalchowk, one woman was injured when police intervened in a peaceful rally taken out by students at Chautara this morning.

Ram Devi Shrestha sustained head injuries when agitators clashed with the police. Irate agitators vandalised the office of Muskan Sena Nepal Party. After the police intervention, students padlocked the District Education Office. They also erased the term ‘His Majesty’s Government’ from the boards of over half-a-dozen government offices and replaced them with ‘Democratic Nepal Government’.

Expressing solidarity with the democratic movement, workers of the Nepal Bank Limited, Chautara, staged a sit-in this morning.

In Taplejung, the agitating parties have intensified their programmes since Monday. According to new schedule, private as well as government schools of the district have been shut down for an indefinite period.

In Dhading, professionals’ federation held a demonstration in Dhadingbensi today.

In Rajbiraj, students set ablaze the main customs office in Rajbiraj yesterday. Meanwhile, the local administration has filed public offence cases against 10 demonstrators. They have been accused of torching the chairs of the District Development Committee chairman and Rajbiraj municipality mayor on Sunday.

In Dhankuta, women staged a massive rally with black patukas on their waists on Monday. The rally was also participated in by elderly and disabled people. A report from Charikot said over four dozen agitators went around Charikot bazaar with their bald heads on the 13th day of the general strike today. Different organisations including NGO federation staged a massive rally in Charikot.

In Narayangarh, the Democratic Movement Professionals staged a rally, which was participated by doctors, health workers, lawyers and journalists, among others. Twenty-six vehicles were escorted to Kathmandu from Chitwan today. According to security sources, RNA vehicles escorted seven trucks loaded with food grains, one milk tanker, 10 passenger buses, four fuel tankers, among other vehicles to Kathmandu.

In Janakpur, various professional organisations, including the Medical Entrepreneurs Association, Janakpur Commerce and Industry Association and the Antar Sanstan Karmachari Sang staged demonstrations today, while activists of the seven political parties staged whistle and torch rallies.

In Dhankuta, the Athpahariya Kirat Rai staged a rally. Various professional organisations also expressed their solidarity with the movement. They staged rallies from Madan chowk that went around the thoroughfares of the city and converged into a corner meeting at Madan chowk. In Kapilvastu, staffers of the district court expressed their solidarity with the

movement. Twenty-four government and non-governmental organisations also staged a mass meeting for the restoration of democracy. Agitators of the seven parties padlocked 14 government offices in the district.

In Biratnagar, two Nepal Telecom staffers shaved their heads to mark the 13th day of the general strike. Teachers of N-PABSAN and PABSON also staged a rally.

In Mahendranagar, municipality staffers did not report for duty. Mayor Tej Bahadur Bhandari has threatened action against staffers joining the movement.