Fresh curfew was imposed Saturday in Siraha’s Lahan and Birgunj in Parsa district as violent protests continued in these areas.

The District Administration Office (DAO) of Siraha announced four-hour curfew in Lahan and surrounding areas beginning 12:00 noon. Reports said protests were organised around the town from early morning. Day curfew was clamped there yesterday also.

In Birgunj, the Parsa DAO announced curfew from 10:00 am till 8:00 pm today amidst violence during the demonstrations organised by the Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF). A 12-hour curfew was imposed in Birgunj yesterday.

Meanwhile, the bandh (general strike) called by the MJF has affected normal life in several Terai districts today.

Worst affected by the bandh are Rautahat, Dhanusha, Saptari, Mottohari and Sarlahi districts where marketplaces remain closed and vehicular traffic has come to a halt in towns and major highways.

Reports said the protesting MJF activists dismantled a statue of late Ganesh Man Singh, the leader of 1990’s democratic movement, in Rahbiraj, Saptari district. Sporadic demonstrations were reported in many other places during the bandh.