Kathmandu, Feb 02: Markets and educational institutions remained closed today and vehicles were off the road in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu and adjoining cities Bhaktapur and Lalitpur due to the bandh called by the five political parties in protest against police intervention at their mass meeting on Friday. Most shops and educational establishments were closed in the main markets of the three cities, schools, campuses and there was no movement of public vehicles in the three cities.
This is the first time the five political parties, struggling against the royalty, have called the bandh during their movement to ''restore the democratic rights of the people''.
Police had intervened in the Martyrs’ Day celebration programme of the political parties on Friday and used water cannons, lathicharge and teargas to disperse the crowd. A total of 26 political party leaders and activists were detained for some time.
There is no report of violence so far in the course of the bandh. The home ministry had appealed in a statement to citizens to continue the business and vehicular movement. The five political parties staged torch rallies at different parts across the Kathmandu valley last night.
The protest rallies were organised before the valley general strike in response to police atrocities in their previous protest programmes, the political parties have said. The political parties said that they would allow the operation of ambulance, hospital vehicles, emergency vehicles, marriage ceremony vehicles, milk and daily needs supply vehicles during the general strike. Bureau Report