Rajbiraj/Rautahat, June 14

District Election Office Saptari today postponed a training programme meant for election officers until further notice due to obstruction by the leaders and cadres of Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal on the second of their four-day general strike.

After RJP-N cadres and leaders burned tyres, staged sit-in and shouted slogans at the entrance of Bindeswori Multiple Campus, the first phase of the orientation programme for election officers and assistant election officers was put off.

District Election Office Saptari Chief Mahes Thakur said that the training programme was deferred as tension broke out due to RJPN’s protest. Thakur

said the next date for the training would be scheduled after a deliberation with all the parties.

Agitating RJP-N cadres had reached the training venue one hour in advance, staged the sit-in and shouted slogans. The training was postponed owing to their continued protest and demonstration.

The protesters had urged around one dozen teachers participating in the training to join their sit-in. Most of the participants had returned half-way after they came to know about the protest and sit-in.

RJP-N General Secretary Manish Kumar Suman said that their cadres and leaders had used the national flag along with the party flag to give the message that they too were Nepalis.

Transport, educational institutions, factories and industries were hit hard due to the general strike on the second day in Saptari. RJP-N cadres descended on the street from early morning and staged the demonstration by burning tyres. Two protesters were injured in police lathi-charge when the agitators vandalised a bus. Two of them who were injured with cuts on their head are being treated at a hospital in Lahan, said RJP-N Saptari Coordinator.

Similarly, bandh enforcers vandalised a bus for defying the bandh at Rautahat headquarters, Gaur, today morning. The bus was reserved to ferry 60 APF personnel from Kathmandu yesterday night.

Agitators pelted stones and damaged a Bolero Jeep with Indian number plate at Sisawa Chowk in Gaur.

RJP-N leaders Rameswor Ray Yadav, Kamalesh Singh and Bachha Chauwe were taken under control by the police after they manhandled security forces.

Agitators burned tyres at various places of Gaur and staged demonstration. Long and short route buses had stayed off the road leaving the passengers in a lurch.

Agitators burned tyres at  Ghantaghar, Powerhouse Chowk, Gandak Chowk, Baipasko Nagawa in Birgunj; Kalaiya, Parwanipur, Jitpur in Bara  and staged demonstration. Market places, shops, educational institutions pulled down their shutters in Birgunj. Bandh enforcers thrashed one motorbike rider for defying the bandh in Birgunj.

The general shutdown threw life out of gear in Siraha. Factories, industries, market places and educational institutions pulled down their shutters in Lahan, Mirchaiya, Bishnupur and Golbazaar in Siraha. Vehicles stayed off the road along the East-West highway hitting passengers very hard.