Biratnagar, April 13:

Businessmen staged a demonstration here today to protest the “recent assault” by Maoist-affiliated vehicle drivers on a local industrialist Shyam Sundar Sarada.

Businessmen of Morang, Sunsari and Jhapa districts took out a demonstration from Shahid Rangashala and went round the city.

Seething at the inability of the local administration to arrest Sarada’s assaulters, businessmen warned that they will stage phasewise protest programmes if the guilty were not arrested at the earliest.

Meanwhile, superintendent of police Gopal Bhandari said among those involved in the beating, one person, Arjun Parajuli, has been arrested and a search for the others is on.

Businessmen warned that they will close some 500 industries in the Morang-Sunsari industrial corridor and dump the keys with the government if action was not taken against the guilty by April 15.

“If our three-point demand — maintaining industrial security, creating an atmosphere for honest investment and action against the guilty — is not met, all industries will be shut down on April 15,” chairperson of the Morang Trade Association, Jeevan Nepal, said.

Acting chairperson of the Industry Association-Morang Dinesh Golchha said businessmen were agitated at the growing lawlessness in the industrial sector and increasing incidents of assaults on businessmen.

Recently, Maoist-affiliated workers “beat up” one of the proprietors of the Pioneer Cables, Shyam Sundar Sarada.

The Maoists instigated the workers and engineered the incident as donation was not given them, another proprietor of the Pioneer Cables, Nanda Kishor Sarada, said, adding that the Maoists have demanded Rs 5 lakh in donation.

Meanwhile, the Maoists alleged that Indian abductors, at the behest of proprietors of Pioneer Cables, Shyam Sundar Sarada and Nanda Kishor Sarada, abducted driver Ram Kumar Rajdhani.

The drivers had gathered to protest and warn that they will halt work if their salary was not increased from Saturday.

The abductors arrived on four motorbikes with Indian number plates, beat up Rajdhani and took him with them, the Maoists said.