104 arrested in Nepal as general strike affects normal life

KATHMANDU: Over 100 people were arrested in Nepal today for trying to enforce a general strike to protest the decision of dividing the country into six provinces in the new Constitution.

Police arrested 97 people including vice-president of Federal Socialist Party Rajendra Shrestha from Kathmandu and 7 others from neighbouring Bhaktpur district.

Life across Nepal, including in capital Kathmandu, was crippled as the CPN-Maoist, the breakaway faction of the Unified CPN-Maoist, and Madhesi parties enforced general strike to protest against the decision made by the major parties to incorporate six provinces model of federal system in the new constitution.

All educational institutions, major markets remained closed and vehicles were mostly off the roads.

Only a handful of two-wheelers and three wheelers were plying despite the shut down.

The agitators vandalised a bus and a car in Kathmandu for defying the strike, police said.

Nepal's Drafting Committee had endorsed the first draft of the long-pending constitution for the first time on June 29.

The four major parties - Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, Unified CPN-Maoist and Madhesi Peoples Rights Forum - representing more than 90 per cent seats of the Constituent Assembly had reached the landmark agreement on June 8 in the wake of the April 25 devastating earthquake.

However, the top leaders of the major parties are yet formally put their signatures on the deal.

Once the deal is signed, the Constitutional Political Dialogue and Consensus Committee will endorse the deal reached among the parties.