Biratnagar, January 21:

Life in Biratnagar was crippled today due to the general strike called by seven agitating parties. The bandh was called to protest against the arrests of political party leaders and activists and clamping of curfew in Kathmandu.

Most shops in the city area remained closed and the cadres of seven parties were seen urging the shop owners to close down some open shops to make the strike successful.

Security was tightened in Pushpa Lal Chowk, Pokhriya, Tinpaini, Main Road, Jal Jala Road, Traffic Chowk, Jana Andolan Chowk, Road Shesh Chowk and other busy city centres.

Team of armed police force had patrolled around Biratnagar all day long and very few vehicles plied in Koshi Highway. Police arrested eleven party activists of seven agitating parties from different places of Biratnagar this morning.

Among those arrested are coordinator of Koshi Zonal Coordination Committee of CPN-UML Rajendra Gautam, district members of CPN-UML, Morang, Binod Dhakal, Ram Lal Shah, Mohan Udas, secretary of UML ward number 15, Bhanu Koirala, and Mukesh Budhathoki.

Similarly, police arrested Kedar Basnet of Nepali Congress, Rajendra Dhital of NC-D, student leader Min Acharya, treasurer of Morang Campus FSU, Kabi Timsina, and district member of ANNFSU Ajay Subba.

Some of the leaders were arrested from their homes while others were arrested from chowks of Biratnagar.

The leaders who were arrested early in the morning are kept at Armed Police Force Battalion situated at Tankisinwari.

The student leaders Timsina and Subba are kept at District Police Office.

Meanwhile, students burnt tyres in front of Mahendra Morang Campus this afternoon to protest arrests of party leaders. The students also chanted slogans against autocracy.

In Surkhet, Birendranagar Bazaar remained closed today due to the bandh called by the Joint Peoples’ Movement Committee Surkhet to protest against teh police intervention and arrest of students from yesterday’s peaceful protest.

Most shops except drug stores and few eateries remained closed. Security force was mobilised in all major areas of Surkhet.

A corner meeting was organised at 4 pm at local Neta Chowk by the Committee. Central member of Jana Morcha Nepal, Janak Raj Sharma, and Ananta Poudel of Nepali Congress addressed the meeting.

The 19 students of the 21 arrested yesterday were released later in the evening the same day.

In Bara, the seven agitating parties staged a protest rally in Kalaiya today against the arrest of party leaders in Kathmandu and the municipal polls. The rally had commenced from CPN-UML party office in Kalaiya and passed through different parts of Kalaiya bazaar. The rally had converged into a corner meeting at Bharat Chowk.

Manoj Poudel, Kishori Prasad Yadav and Tri Loki Prasad Chaudhari had addressed the meeting.

A report from Palpa said normal life was crippled here today due to the Palpa bandh announced by the agitating political parties against the arrest of the leaders and activists of different political parties in the capital on Thursday. The bandh organisers have demanded release of all leaders and activists.

Tansen bazaar and other small markets in the district were totally closed. Traffic came to halt on different road sections, including Butwal-Tansen, Butwal-Syangja and Tansen-Tamghas sectors.

Student unions in the district organised a rally from Shivalaya, Tansen to Taksar this morning. The rally converged into a corner meet at Taksar.

Addressing the meeting, student leaders demanded the release of arrested leaders and activists and easing of the curfew in the region. The government has imposed curfew in 22 villages that lie close to the forest areas in the district. The students also warned of further protests if their demands are not met.

The Joint Movement Committee, Palpa also staged a rally in Tansen this afternoon. The rally later turned into a corner meeting at Narayansthan.

The district branches of the NC, CPN-UML, Janamorcha Nepal and NC(D), issuing separate statements today, have urged the government to release the arrested leaders and ease the curfew in the district. Palpa-based Federation of Non Governmental Organisations, Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Press Chautari, Press Union, among other organisations, have also urged the government to ease the curfew.

Maoists bomb govt offices

Biratnagar: Maoists hurled a bomb at the Biratnagar Sub-metropolis office at around 5:45 am today, causing damages to the tune of five million rupees, a report said.

While a car belonging to the Hulas Company was wreaked in the blast, an ambulance donated by the Indo-Nepal Friendship Association was damaged.

The Maoists detonated two bombs at the Holgandi-based District Forest Office and Land Conservation Office today, a report from Palpa said, adding documents, furniture were destroyed and windowpanes shattered in the bombing.

The Maoists detonated a bomb at the Kalaiya (4)-based Bara District Land Reforms Office yesterday, a report said, adding that four civilians were injured, one critically, in the blast. Property worth Rs 1.4 million was destroyed in yesterday’s blasts at the District Land Revenue Office and Agriculture Development Bank in Gaur, a report from Rautahat said.

The peon of the revenue office, Mahesh Shah, who was critically injured in the blast, was sent to the Birgunj-based Narayani Sub-Regional Hospital for treatment, SP Keshav Prasad Adhikari said. — HNS