(updated ) Normal life across the country including Kathmandu has been hit hard by the general strike called by Netra Bikram Chand led CPN Maoists against the constitution drafting process and Lipulek agreement on Friday. Shops around the main streets in the Capital and across the nation are closed for business while schools and colleges across the country have been closed due to the strike. Likewise, due to the strike, both short- and long-distance public transportation services have come to a halt. Although the number of banda enforcers is low, public life in Kathmandu has been disrupted. However, few private vehicles are plying on the road. Meanwhile, police have stepped up security in the valley. The police have arrested Chand-led CPN Maoist leaders and cadres involved in forcefully enforcing banda since early morning. The CPN Maoist has called a nationwide strike stating that the Constituent Assembly endorsed an anti-public draft of the constitution and the India-China Lipulek agreement was a ‘dangerous interference’ in the national sovereignty. 

Updated.... Even though fewer vehicles were seen on the roads of Kathmandu Valley on Friday, the general strike called by Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN-Maoist seemed to have very little effect on the general public. The general strike was organized to protest the recently-inked Lipu Lek agreement signed by India and China. The two countries signed the deal to open a trade and transit point through Lipulekh, part of which falls in Nepali territory, without including Nepal in the deliberations. The effective patrolling by Nepal Police at various places in Kathmandu Valley prevented any kind of untoward incident. The presence of police at major junctions throughout the day made the public feel safe to move around. "The strikers couldn't enforce banda or cause damage in the valley due to the presence of Nepal Police patrol," said Kamal Singh Bam, spokesperson of the Nepali Police. "We had singled out places that posed a challenge from the point of view of security and deployed enough forces to prevent any untoward incident." Deputy Inspector General Bam informed that they had formed standby reserved forces for immediate response in case of crisis. "We had also deployed plainclothesmen at different locations," added Bam.

The police arrested altogether 247 general strike enforcers from across the country, of which 99 were detained from the Kathmandu Valley. Still, the strikers belonging to the Chand-led party torched nine vehicles and vandalize 19 others. Out of the nine vehicles burnt across the country by the banda organizers, only one was from the valley, according to Senior Superintendent of Police Narayan Singh Khada. He said that four people set a car on fire in Sorhakhutte area around 4 pm, though the driver managed to escape unhurt.

On the other hand, the general public opposed to the banda culture urged political leaders to opt for other forms of negotiation. Bibeksheel Nepali, a political party formed by youth activists, organized a program at Maitighar in the morning to spread a message, "Search alternative of Banda" and "Nepal is open." The members of the party urged the strike enforcers to end the culture of banda for a prosperous Nepal. According to some research, the country faces losses worth approximately Rs 2 billion per day during banda.

The mixed impact of banda in districts, vehicles torched: Districts outside the capital witnessed a mixed impact of a general strike called by the Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist on Friday. Although the Chand-led party called it a nationwide strike, some districts including Banke, Dhading, and Myagdi were more impacted. The party had called the one-day strike to protest against the 'Lipu Lekh' agreement signed between India and China, the 16-point agreement reached among the four major parties, the contents of the preliminary draft of the new constitution, and corruption in earthquake relief distribution. The cadres of the Chand-led party burnt four vehicles in Banke district and two vehicles in Dhading district, according to police. After the vehicles were burnt down, the effect of the banda was more visible in the two districts.

According to District Police Office (DPO), Banke, the agitating cadres torched two passenger buses (Bhe 1 Kha 585 and Bhe 1 Kha 808), which were parked near the bus park area.

Likewise, they burnt an Indian school van with registration number UP 40 T 0763 that had come to Nepalgunj to collect Nepali students. The fourth vehicle they burnt was a truck (Na 5 Kha 1450), that was parked at Khaskusma VDC-4 for repairs. "So far, we have arrested two members of political parties involved in the vandalism," said SP Basanta Pant, who is also the DPO chief, Banke. SP Pant further said that police are looking for more people involved in violence and vandalism during the banda.

In Dhading, police, and locals had rushed to the incident site soon after the party cadres set an LP trailer (Na 4 Kha 3622) on fire at Bhumesthan VDC. As a result, the vehicle, however, was saved from burning into ashes. The banda activists also burnt a motorbike with registration number Na 10 Pa 1845 at Nalang VDC-6. One of the party activists, Prem Bahadur Thapa was taken into police custody, according to DPO, Dhading. Life in Myagdi district also came to a grinding halt due to the banda as transport services, market places, educational institutions, and factories remained shut due to the banda. Likewise, the general strike hit normal life in Sindhuli district even though there were not many strike enforcers on the streets. However, the banda caused no significant effect in many of the remaining districts including Ramechhap.