General strike enforced by Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist turned violent in various parts of the country on Sunday.

The banda enforcers torched and vandalised vehicles and factories in Surkhet, Sindhuli, Dolakha, Dhankuta, among other districts. The protesters forced people to shut down businesses and transportation.

In Surkhet, the Maoist activists torched a factory at Birendranagar-13. Factory owner Tekraj Khatri said properties worth about Rs 1.2 million were destroyed in the arson. Investigation is under way on the incident, police said.

According to our local correspondent, the banda enforcers torched a car along Sindhulimadi-Khurkot section on the BP Koirala Highway in Sindhuli district for defying the strike. The protesters forced passengers out of a Scorpio (Sa 1 Cha 1144) and torched it. The vehicle was en route to Siraha from Kathmandu. The transportation came to a halt along the highway after the arson.

In Dolakha, unidentified persons torched a car belonging to Indra Shrestha, general secretary of the Dolakha Chambers of Commerce and Industry, in Charikot on Saturday night. The vehicle (Ba 1 Cha 1474) was parked near Hotel Subhekchhya. The arsonists also set alight two motorcycles, one of them belonging to Dolakha District Development Committee.

A truck carrying goods was vandalised along the Koshi Highway. Driver Suman Adhikari said the banda enforcers intercepted the vehicle and vandalised for defying the general strike.

Local youths stand against Banda

SUNSARI: Local people in Itahari took to the streets in protest of the banda. A group of about 50 youths gathered at Itahari Chowk holding placards, urging not to enforce general strike. They called on the locals to stand against the banda through various social media.

Strike passes without major incident in Valley

KATHMANDU: Normal life was affected across the country on Sunday due to Nepal banda called by Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist. No major incidents of arson and vandalism were reported in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur districts of the valley.

Markets, shops, schools and transportation service across the country remained closed throughout the day.  Chief of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Range SSP Bikram Singh Thapa said that police arrested over 100 cadres mobilised to enforce the strike in the Capital.

Thousands of security personnel were deployed in the Capital streets to prevent any untoward incident.

Although there were no vehicular movements early in the Sunday morning, the number of vehicles, especially two wheelers, plying the road gradually increased later on the day. A few transportation services, including Sajha Yatayat, operated throughout the day. CPN Maoist leaders said that the strike was called to draw government’s attention towards scarcity of food in places like Karnali. The CPN Maoist has been carrying out various semi-underground activities in the name of “unified rebellion”, a hybrid form of the People’s Revolution that the Maoist rebels launched for a decade. Of late, many of its cadres are getting arrested while extorting money.