Siraha, September 4:

Activists of the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum called an indefinite transport strike here today to protest the seizure of a private property by Maoist cadres.

The strike comes after the Maoist cadres seized 11 bighas of land, including a 16-room building worth Rs 80 million, belonging to Birendra Saha of Kalyanpur-6 at Ramnagar Mirchaiya-5 on Sunday.

Maoist cadres led by CA members Mahendra Paswan and Jagat Yadav seized the property claiming that the property belonged to former king Gyanendra’s brother-in-law Mohan Shahi.

They even distributed the land to landless Dalit families and declared that the building would be used as a Dharmashala (guest house).

However, Birendra Saha claimed he had bought the property from Shahi a few years ago.

Issuing a release on Sunday, teh MJF protested the Maoists’ move saying that it was against the pact reached among the coalition partners and the comprehensive peace accord.

The MJF had given a 48-hour ultimatum to the Maoists to return the seized property.

Maoists’ district coordinator urged the MJF to suspend the strike and come for dialogues to resolve the issue.