Biratnagar, June 2:

Maoists disrupted traffic for four hours on the Koshi and Mahendra highways today to protest the arrest of four Maoist-affiliated workers yesterday who had gone to meet some other workers staging a sit-in. The sit-in was going on outside the office of the Sharada Group to demand the reinstatement of five workers who were sacked by the group.

Workers and worker leaders, including All Nepal Trade Union Federation central member Tejlal Karna, had yesterday gone to meet those workers staging the sit-in. Shortly after, police arrested four workers — Karna, Suman Magarati, Bhola Prasain and Khagendra Bhandari from Munalpath.

Young Communist League cadres, protesting the arrest of the four, halted traffic at various points on Koshi and Mahendra highways from 10 am to 2 pm today.

Morang SP Gopal Bhandari said they were arrested as they tried to remove the barricade set up outside the Sarada Group office.

Police chased the agitators and demolished the tent that they had set up on the sit-in site. However, the workers have resumed their sit-in at the same place.