Anti constitution strikes in southern Nepal turn violent
Date
11/21/2015 10:58:59 PM
(MENAFN- Asia Times) Activists from Nepal’s Communist Party protest in Kathmandu against the Indian government for closing the border with Nepal causing shortages of some essential commodities in this file photo
Police and protesters clashedinDuhabi after demonstrators interrupted apeace rally according to the chief district office of Sunsari. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
It was not clear how many people were hurt in the clash. An ambulance also came under attack by protesters during which the driver was injuredaccording to the local media.
Demonstrations against the changes included in a new constitution have shut down a variety of towns in the southern plains of Nepal crippling markets and transportation. Schools have been shut for months.
At issue is the federal structurein the new constitution that changes borders on a variety of governmental districts.
Protesters from the Madheshi community – which has affinities with northern India– say they want a separate state dedicated to their community. But politicians at the center havebeen resisting saying it would make the Madheshi community powerful and undermine the other ethnic groups that reside in the plains.
In Biratnagar district a passenger bus was attacked by protesters. In Nawalparasi district two motorbikes were vandalized. In Birganj twomotorbikes weretorched.
In Janakpur a man was injured when a bomb exploded in a residential area. Police said they were not sure who planted the bomb.
The Terai region has seen 89 days of strikes which has had a severe impact on not just the plains but on the rest of Nepal as India closed the border between the two countries citing security reasons.
Imports from India to Nepal notably petrol have been blocked for the last three months with the border effectively closed due to what India has called security concerns. Almost 50 people have been killed in violence during the protests.
The United Nations has expressed concern about the “blocking of essential supplies on the Nepal-India border” according to a statement.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said he was “alarmed by reports of the obstruction and destruction of life-saving medical supplies and thecontinued impact on humanitarian operations.”
Ban called on all sides to liftrestrictions without further delay and urged dialogue and non-violence.
However the talks between the government and the protesting sides in Nepal has seen little success as the demonstrators say they will not back down unless the government amends the constitution to give them more autonomy in the new constitution.
As the protests continued on Saturday the three main parties were deliberating ways to amend the federal structure.
The anti-constitution protests began in the plains as soon as the government released the draft constitution in early August before promulgating it on September 20.
A new constitution was a requirement of the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed by the government and the Maoists in 2006 which put an end to a decade-long constitution.
On Friday Nepal’s CentralBank said the country’s economic growth rate could turn to negative for the first time in 33 years.
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