Normal life across Nepal was paralysed on Monday as the main opposition party Nepali Congress and its sister organisations called a general strike to protest the killing of its youth leader in custody.
Vehicular movements were halted, markets were shut down and factories and educational institutions remained closed in response to the strike.
Though the strike was largely peaceful as claimed by the party, half a dozen agitators were detained while enforcing the shut down and three vehicles were damaged in the capital, according to Chief District Officer Ratna Raj Pandey.
The agitators torched a vehicle near the Tribhuvan International Airport, another vehicle was stormed at Chabahil area and a motorcycle was vandalized at Putalisadak in Kathmandu, he said.
“We have detained six persons involved in the vandalism from different parts of the city,” he told PTI.
The Tarun Dal and Nepal Students Union, the sister organisations of the party, have organised protest demanding stern action against the culprit involved in the murder of Chitawn District President of Tarun Dal Shiva Poudyal, who was killed in Chitawan prison, according to Nepali Congress Kathmandu district secretary Prachanda Dev Manandhar.
Our protest programme is peaceful, as we tried to avoid violence and vandalism, said Nepali Congress spokesman Arjun Narsingh Khatrichhetri.
“We have been protesting for probe into the Chitawan prison incident in which our youth leader was attacked,” he said. “The government should take responsibility for the killing and due compensation should be provided to the kins of the victim.”
The government should provide security to its citizens, those who are under custody and whose case is being investigated should be protected by the state, he pointed out.
Poudyal was arrested for his alleged involvement in the killing of a cadre of CPN-UML affiliated youth association, which he had been denying.
The NC has also demanded that the government declare Poudyal as martyr, provide him due compensation and form independent probe committee to investigate into the matter.
The strike has also affected life in various other districts outside Kathmandu including Palpa, Kaski, Bhojpur, Siraha, Saptari, Butawal, Morang, Banke, Bardiya, Kanchanpur, Kailali.
