Dozens of local demonstrators and security personnel were injured in clashes in the districts.An alliance of several Madhes-based parties has been staging protests in the Tarai districts against the proposed provincial boundaries.
At least a dozen protestors and policemen were injured in a clash at Roadshesh Chowk in Biratnagar, the district headquarters of Morang. "The general strike is a protest seeking guarantee of Madhesi people's rights in the new constitution," said Sanjay Singh, president of Sadbhawana party, Dhanusha.
The constitution should address people's aspirations but big parties are not serious toward that, Singh added.
In Saptari, vehicles stayed off the roads while academic institutions, shops, and industries remained shut during the strike jointly called by the Madhesi parties' alliance and Tharu Karlyankari Sabha. In an interaction with the media, the agitating Madhesi leaders have said the draft constitution, which has hurt the sentiments of the Madhesi people, should be trashed, according to Jitendra Kumar Jha, Saptari-based Republica correspondent.
The Madhesi alliance said the six-province model and exclusion of Jhapa, Sunsari, Morang, Kanchanpur and Kailali from Madhes is not acceptable to them.
The banda has also affected the lives of Siraha locals as the marketplaces, educational institutions, government offices and transport services remained shut. A large number of demonstrators had been mobilized to make the strike effective, according to our Siraha-based correspondent Mithilesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, district leaders of Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF-Democratic) have also demanded that Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari districts be included in province-2. "Three districts -- Jhapa, Morang and Sunsari -- should be included in province-2," Dilip Dhadewa, a central member of MPRF-Democratic said in Biratnagar.
Life in Rautahat and Bara districts was also hit hard due to the general strike on Sunday, according to our correspondent Madan Thakur.
Meanwhile, district police offices of Rautahat and Bara districts informed that a large number of security personnel were deployed in order to prevent untoward incidents.
Dozens of vehicles vandalized, 117 banda enforcers held in Kathmandu
The banda enforced by the 33-party alliance led by the CPN-Maoist on Sunday added to the hardship of people across the country.
In Kathmandu, markets, schools, colleges and business houses remained closed due to the strike.
A few motorcycles, private vehicles and public vehicles were seen plying the streets in Kathmandu.
From early morning, cadres of the alliance had gathered at major intersections to enforce the banda. Various groups of CPN-Maoist cadres clashed with the police as the latter tried to arrest banda enforcers.
Nepal Police said it arrested 117 protestors from across the country for hooliganism. Police arrested 98 protestors from Kathmandu, eight from Lalitpur, three from Kaski, three from Morang, one from Jhapa and four from Makwanpur.
The protestors vandalized two taxis and two buses at various places in the capital.
Banda enforcers also vandalized the car (Ba 5 Cha) journalist Rishi Dhamala was riding while on his way to his Putalisadak-based office. The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has condemned the incident. Meanwhile, issuing a press statement, the alliance has condemned the arrest of its leaders and cadres and demanded their immediate release.
READ ALSO:Nepal banda affects life across the country, journo Dhamala assaulted (photos+video)
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