A nationwide banda enforced by the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) on Sunday was marked by sporadic incidents of arson and explosion in some places.

The shutdown, which was called to protest against the agreements signed by Nepal and India during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s latest Nepal visit, had no impact on Kathmandu Valley, but daily life in several other districts were brought to a grinding halt.

In Chitwan, an early morning explosion near the Bharatpur-based Bhatbhateni Supermarket shattered some windows and damaged the building wall.

DSP Prabhu Prasad Dhakal of Chitwan District Police Office said the blast occurred at the passage between Hotel Royal Century and Bhatbhateni Supermarket at 3:45 am. “A footage recovered from a security camera near the site shows a motorcyclist throwing the bomb. We are currently trying to identify the suspect,” said DSP Dhakal. “Our suspicion is that the bomber is a worker of Communist Party of Nepal, although no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the incident.”

Similarly, suspected CPN activists set ablaze two lorries parked at Dharke Bazaar in Dhunibeshi Municipality, Dhading. District police chief Dambar Bahadur BK said the two cargo tranporters from India (R J 42 GA 5021 and R J 42 GA 0756) were torched at around 3 am, causing panic at the highway settlement that has a LPG bottling plant and a petrol station nearby. A fire engine was called from Kathmandu to put out the fire, which took nearly two hours. In Sunsari, a group set fire to the office vehicle of NHIDCL, the consultancy firm for Postal Road Project which is being undertaken by the Indian government, at around 1:00 am. The front section of the car was damaged in the incident.

Police said they were searaching for the arsonists.

Another early morning attack allegedly perpetrated by the CPN workers, explosives were hurled at two parked buses belonging to Suryodaya Yatayat at a garage in Mechinagar, Jhapa.

DSP Jitendra Kumar Basnet of Damak police station said CPN worker Smriti Rijal was arrested in connection to the case.

He added that an improvised explosive device (IED) planted at Damak Buspark was successfully defused.

In Palpa, IEDs were detonated at Srinagardanda and Tansen. There were no casualties. Normal life in the district was greatly affected because of the banda. An IED planted at the bridge over Madi River in Byas Municipality of Tanahun district was defused by the Nepal Army bomb disposal team. IEDs were also recovered at Sundar-Haraincha in Morang district, Basgadhi in Bardiya district, Butwal in Rupandehi district and Pokhara in Kaski district.

In Banke, the generators of the telecom company, Ncell, were torched at Khajura and Baijanath area, police said. A man was arrested connection to the arson.

Schools, factories, offices and business establishments in Dang and Kapilvastu districts remained shut throughout the day owing to the banda. Vehicles also remained off the road.

(With inputs from our local correspondents)