Maoists youth wing vandalise Indian vehicles

Kathmandu, Feb 2 (UNI) Protesting the arrest of their comrades allegedly by the Indian Border Security Force, cadres of the Maoist youth front have vandalised three Indian vehicles in different parts of eastern Nepal since last night.

''A truck with an Indian registration number ferrying poultry feed was torched at Roadsesh chowk in Biratnagar yesterday morning,'' Kantipur newspaper reported.

''Four people including Chandra Dimal, Pappu Khan, Mukti Magar and Ramesh Murmu have been arrested in connection to the arson'' it said.

Similarly, a jeep with Indian plate number was vandalised at Birtamod in Jhapa district.

India's Seema Sashastra Bal (SSB) had detained 33 Young Communist League (YCL) cadres for three hours at Nepal-India border at Maheshpur village in Jhapa district.

They said that the SSB personnel also looted cell phone sets and camera while they were campaigning for the Constituent Assembly elections slated for April 10, the paper said quoting the YCL cadres as saying.

YCL cadres had also warned that they would not allow vehicles with Indian registration number if the Indian Border Security Force did not return the things they have looted.

Meanwhile, Indian truck operators have blocked Nepal-India customs at Jogvani to protest the cases of arson, Kantipur reported.

The protest has brought the work at the customs to a standstill.

The customs near Biratnagar, Nepal's industrial hub, is one of the main transit point for the movement of goods between the two immediate neighbours and generates revenue worth Rs 15 million on average each day.

UNI XC PD AS1724