Normal life was affected in various districts of Sudurpaschim Province on Thursday due to the banda called by the Netra Birkam Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal.Hundreds of passengers were left stranded because of the strike, while traders also complained that their business had been affected throughout the day. “Banda organisers should search for other alternatives of protest,” said Bhagat Bahadur Thapa, a hotel entrepreneur in Dhangadhi-2.

In Mahendranagar, people said that small vehicles extorted anywhere between Rs500 and Rs1,000 from the public while travelling through the Mahendranagar-Dhangadhi route. The normal fare on the route is Rs130.

Explosives found in Bajhang

Police seized explosives from a Bannichaur forest in Chhabis Pathibhera Rural Municipality-3 of Bajhang district on Wednesday night. According to the District Police Office, three Chand party cadres fled the scene leaving explosives in the forest after learning that a police patrol team was approaching. DSP Surya Bahadur KC said they seized explosives, including six detonators and electric wires from the incident site.

Two vehicles torched on Tribhuvan Highway

HETAUDA: An unidentified group torched two vehicles at separate places along the Tribhuvan Highway on Wednesday night. The District Police Office in Makwanpur said that a mini truck was torched at Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-9 and a Bolero jeep was torched at Thaha Municipality-4. According to police, Chand cadres torched the vehicles to make Thursday’s strike successful in the district. In Nawalparasi, a truck with Indian registration number was torched at Kawasoti-16 along the East-West Highway. An unidentified group set the Kathmandu-bound vehicle on fire, police said. Meanwhile, IEDs were recovered in Pokhara, Bandipur, Baglung Municipality, Gaidakot and Devchuli of Nawalparasi. The Nepal Army (NA) team defused the explosive. A NA soldier was injured while defusing the explosive at Nadipur area in Pokhara.

(With inputs from our district correspondents)