Dang, March 3:

The three-day bandh called by the Tharuhat Joint Struggle Committee paralysed normal life in most of the Tarai districts for the second day today.

Activists of Tharuhat Swyaetta Rajya Parishad today vandalised and torched two vehicles carrying the members of opinion collection team of the Constituent Assembly in Dang.

The team was heading to Panchakule VDC to collect people’s opinion on the new constitution. CA members Nilambar Acharya, Sushma Sharma Ghimire and Shivaraj Gautam, who were in the vehicle, are safe, as the agitators torched the vehicles after taking the CA members out of the vehicles. Later police escorted the CA members to Panchakule. The police arrested Janaklal Chaudhari and Sarala Chaudhari in connection with the incident.

Meanwhile, the agitators vandalised a bus and a motorcycle on the charge of defying their bandh at Dudhera of Tulsipur. The bandh affected normal life in the district as agitators were seen urging people to close markets from the early morning. Vehicles plying on short and long routes stayed off the roads. Industries, educational institutions and business houses also remained closed. The government offices also wore deserted look.

Our Biratnagar correspondent reported that the bandh also affected normal life in eastern region. Local businessmen clashed with the agitators at Mahabir Chowk in Biratnagar when the latter forcefully tried to close the market. A local journalist was hurt when the agitators pelted stones at him. The agitators also torched a motorcyle in Bargachhi for defying the bandh. All the industries on the Sunsari-Morang corridor were also closed. The agitators vandalised a milk tanker at Jhumka of Sunsari. Normal life in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari,

Siraha and Saptari was also affected.

Meanwhile, Morang chapter of Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities expressed solidarity with the bandh.

According to our Narayangarh correspondent, the agitators disrupted traffic at Ratnanagar of Chitwan. They also obstructed traffic at Khageri canal near Tikauli on the

East-West highway. Tourists were compelled to use bicycles and rickshaws as vehicles stayed off the roads. But the bandh didn’t affect the business of local markets.

Our Mahendranagar correspondent reported that the bandh also affected the far-western city.