Panchthar, August 7

Life in the eastern hilly districts of the country, including Panchthar, was affected due to the general strike called by Rastriya Janamukti Party-affiliated Limbuwan Prantiya Parishad today.

The parishad has been calling bandh every year on August 7 in the nine districts of Arun Purba in Province 1 to mark the day as a black day as the then King Tribhuvan Shah had deprived the Limbuhan kings of their rights in 1951.

King Prithivi Narayan Shah had given the rights to Limbu kings during the unification of Nepal in 1831.

The bandh affected life badly in Panchthar, Taplejung, Ilam, Dhankuta and Tehrathum. Shops, education institutions and transportation service was closed since early this morning. The schools, which were opened in the morning, were closed after bandh enforcers.

In Dhankuta, the bazaar, shops and education institutions were closed due to the bandh.

SP Sudarsan Koirala of Dhankuta District Police Office said that no untoward incidents were reported. Bandh supporters also observed the ‘black day’ as authentication day (Lalmohar Day) today. In the Lalmohar, the limbuhans were given the right to consume the products and use the rivers of Arun Purba.