Baglung, April 8:

Clashes and arrests all over the country marked the third day of the general strike called by the seven-party alliance to press for democracy. Tens of thousands of people participated in various rallies staged by front activists in different districts of the country.

In Baglung, police arrested nine agitators while 17 others were injured in a clash with security forces. Agitators damaged a statue of late King Mahendra. Royal Nepalese Army personnel had to be mobilised to quell the situation. Five journalists, including the secretary of the Dhaulagiri chapter of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists Hari Narayan Gautam were injured in a police baton-charge.

In Syangja, police arrested 26 protesters. Prohibitory orders were in force since afternoon. Agitators chanted anti-autocracy slogans and defied prohibitory orders. Mobile phone services here are disrupted since last night.

In Mahendranagar, over a dozen demonstrators were injured when they and the police hurled stones at each other. Police arrested 31 demonstrators. Different unions, including members of civil society, leaders of political parties took part in rallies taken out in different parts of the city. Police beat up agitators and fired several teargas shells. Over 10,000 people took part in the rallies.

In Ilam, three students of Mahendra Ratna Multiple campus and five policemen were injured in a clash after the latter tried to break up the students’ rally.

In Charikot, the federation of professionals’ district coordination committee urged all professionals to participate in the stir. It also urged them to stage pen-down and a silent rally tomorrow.

In Dhading, life was paralysed. Only ambulances plied. Agitators staged rallies at different places and burnt effigies.

In Bara, agitators vandalised a motorbike at Kalaiya bazaar. All the medical shops also closed down for an hour. People, including teachers, students, journalists, workers and others, joined the protest rally.

In Dhangadhi, demonstrators got aggressive when the RNA tried to obstruct them. Around 10,000 agitators staged a rally from Campus chowk to Chouraha - a distance of four km. In Dang, 5,000 people joined a rally of the alliance.

In Hetauda, the situation was tense after protesters staged a rally shouting anti-autocracy slogans.

In Nepalgunj, a dozen people including a child were injured when police baton-charged protesters. Thousands had joined the rally. Front sources said hundreds of villagers were prevented from coming to town. Curfew has been imposed here from 6 pm to 4 am.

In Bardiya, a massive rally was taken out. Over 20,000 people participated in a rally at Gulariya. All business sectors, schools and colleges remained closed.

A report from Dipayal said police arrested five agitators of different political parties from Siligadhi, the district headquarters.

In Dhankuta, front activists and members of different professional unions staged a rally in favour of democracy and the general strike. Dhankuta remained totally shut. Hundreds of passengers were compelled to walk.

Only security forces vehicles plied. Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap remained totally closed.

A report from Gorkha said public life was crippled. In Tanahun, front activists staged demonstrations. Students took out a torch rally. At Prashasan chowk, police tried to snatch the torches. The agitators pelted stones at the house of former minister Durga Shrestha and at Byas municipality office. Main markets of Tanahun were closed.

A report from Birgunj said the shutdown was total.

Agitators pelted stones at police vans. Demanding press freedom, journalists also took out a rally.

In Biratnagar, three agitators and eight security personnel were injured when they threw stones at each other. Some journalists and human rights activists were also injured.

Dev Chandra Ghimire of Nepal Students’ Union, Gopal Khatri, FSU member of Mahendra Morang Campus and an unidentified person were critically injured.

Mahesh Acharya of Nepali Congress, former Member of Parliament Lal Babu Pandit and district-based leaders of different parties also joined the rally. The agitators also pelted stones at District Traffic Police Office and building of municipal police.

Five security men barged into a butcher shop at Bus park, beat up the owner Gafar Miya and snatched Rs 8,000 from him. Locals lined up there to buy meat begged them not to but the security men did not relent.

A report from Dharan said front activists took out a massive rally which converted into a street corner meeting at Bhanu chowk. Various speakers including the vice-president of FNJ Rajesh Bidrohi addressed the people.

Meanwhile, in a statement the Gorkha Ex-Army Union and the women’s wing of the Union expressed solidarity with the movement of the alliance. A report from Surkhet said, the local administration today imposed curfew in all areas of the district headquarters Birendranagar Municipality and Latikoili VDC from 2:00 am to 7:00 pm. Chief District Officer Durga Nidhi Sharma issued the curfew orders at 1:45 pm.

Local political activists had demonstrated before curfew was clamped. Meanwhile, security forces stepped up checking at all entry points of the headquarters including Jhuliyabeet, Bangesimal and Latikoili Chowk. There was also heavy presence of security personnel in Birendranagar.

In Bhairahawa the local administration clamped curfew in Butwal municipality and Siddharthanagar municipality on Saturday after the Maoists’ attack on Butwal, the headquarters of Lumbini zone, on Friday night.

The District Administration Office, Rupandehi, in a notice announced daytime curfew in Butwal and Siddharthanagar municipalities from 8:30 am till 4 pm on Saturday.

On Sunday, the curfew will be in place from 7 pm till 4 am, the notice said.

Curfew has also been imposed in VDCs along Mahendra Highway, Siddhartha Highway and in VDCs along the Taulihawa-Parasi Hulaki road. Normal life was affected by the general strike and

curfew on Saturday. Tourists trying to enter Nepal via the Belhiya entry point had to return to India.