Kathmandu, 7 January:  The second peace march in two days paraded through the streets of the capital Sunday urging national unity and communal harmony shattered by recent riots that killed seven persons and injured hundreds in the capital and the rest of the country.

Students, civil servants, politicians and professionals joined the rally led by the Federation of the Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) waving placards calling for unity, development, communal harmony and peace.

Nepalis from the hills and the tarai as well as some Indian nationals snaked through the city starting from Tundihkel with blue sashes over their shoulders inscribed with the slogan: Peace, Development and Solidarity.

The Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist) look the lead in initiating such rallies in the capital last week to restore peace between ethnic communities. Professionals took out a similar rally from Tri Chandra Campus Saturday.

Meanwhile, 41 rebel legislators of the ruling Nepali Congress party Saturday blamed the government for partly fanning the violence and asked the administration to restore peace.

As major political parties try to contain the spread of communal tension, the regional Nepal Sadbhavana party has planned protests against the riots in the tarai which is its base.