Siraha, November 1:

Government offices across Siraha district remained shut today due to a day-long strike called to protest the kidnapping, robbery, murder and torture of government employees by armed outfits in the Tarai.

The bandh was called after the recent murder of Saptari DDC employee Prabhu Yadav and

abduction of Saptari DDC employee Dev Narayan Yadav, Siraha DDC secretary Jivan Dhital and Bara-based journalist Birendra Shah. The bandh was called by different government employees’ unions.

In a joint press statement released by the employees’ unions, the civil servants have said their morale have been lowered due to the increasing incidents of kidnapping, murder and torture of unarmed and defenceless government employees. Meanwhile, secretaries of 106 VDCs of the district halted work today at the call of the VDC Secretaries’ Rights Protection Committee.