The three-day general strike enforced by 30-party opposition alliance on Tuesday turned violent across the country, said police.
At least 21 people have been arrested for vandalism.
“We have received reports of violence from across the country but so far the situation is under control,” Nepal Police spokesperson DIG Kamal Singh Bam told The Hindu . “Police have arrested 14 bandh enforcers in the Kathmandu Valley and seven outside.”
News portals Setopati and Onlinekhabar posted photographs of a taxi that was set ablaze in Koteshwar area in Kathmandu even before the strike began at 5 am on Tuesday. The driver was inside when the incident happened.
According to the account on Onlnekhabar.com , the taxi driver, Niraj Baniya, managed to escape without serious injury since he had not put on his seat belt. However, part of his hair was burned.
According to reports, a number of passengers on the main highway, Prithvi Highway, were forced to walk or remain stranded. “We have announced providing escort to long-distance travellers, but so far no one has availed this option.” DIG Bam said. The DIG said that they have provided escort to some foreign tourists travelling from Kathmandu to Pokhara.
The 30-party alliance said they were forced to resort to bandh since the ruling parties were not interested in seeking consensus to disputes related to the new Constitution, a charge denied by the Nepali Congress and the CPN (Unified Marxist-Leninist), CPN-UML.
