Nepal Bandh peaceful despite minor incidents

Kathmandu, March 27:Today’s Nepal Bandh called by the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) remained peaceful except for the damage to some state owned vehicles and a few government offices, Home Ministry said in a press statement.

The protesters destroyed a state-owned jeep and a public truck in Biratnagar, one bus, two trucks, a tampo and two motorcycles in Kathmandu, a van of Patan Hospital, two taxies and a motorcycle in Patan. In Bhaktapur, a bus of Janak Education Materials Centre and a taxi were stoned. The protesters vandalised a taxi in Pokhara and two buses in Rupandehi.

Similarly, the protesters pelted and smashed the windowpanes of Department of Immigration (DoI), Department of Customs (DoC) and Nepal Water Supply Corporation. They also destroyed Telecommunications Office’s PCO booth located at Letang, Morang.

A female employee of DoC, two employees of DoI and a truck driver were injured during different incidents of stone pelting by the protestors.

The ministry said that the police were compelled to use force to stop a group of protesters from entering Hulas Wire Industries in Morang’s Tanki Sinuwari.

A total of 40 protesters have been arrested on charge of being involved in pelting and compelling the public to shut down shops. Sixteen of them were arrested from Kathmandu, eight from Jhapa, one from Morang, three from Khotang, one from Nawalparasi, eight from Dadeldhura and three from Kanchanpur.

Meanwhile, a press release issued today by CPN-UML said that the Bandh was successful throughout the country. It said the Bandh, chalked out during the tenure of the previous government, was organised as a protest against the “defects and inconsistencies seen in the system of the governance, politicisation, lax law and order situation, growing corruption and price hike among others.”

The party staged the Bandh with a view to pressurise the government to launch relief programmes for the people, the release said.