On the first day of the shutdown, normal life was affected in all five Tarai districts of the far-western and mid-western regions. The strike pushed public transport off the roads and forced all educational institutes to remain shut, Tuesday. [break]
A group of former Kamlaris in Dang district vandalized a vehicle used by Ghorahi Municipality to collect garbage. They vandalized the vehicle (Ra. 1 Ba 11) for defying their strike. "The government turned a deaf ear to our demand," said former Kamlari girl Manjita Chaudhary. "So, we attacked the government vehicle."
In order to enforce the strike, several groups of former Kamlaris had taken to the streets, staging anti-government demonstrations in Ghorahi, Tulasipur and Lamahi of Dang district. Agitating former Kamlaris also vandalized a truck in Nepalgunj.
However, although the strike had been called in all 22 districts of the Tarai, only the far-west and mid-west regions were affected. Life was normal in other parts of the Tarai.
The strike was announced Monday by a joint struggle committee for abolition of the Kamlari tradition. The committee decided to go for the strike after police baton-charged former Kamlari girls entering a restricted area in front of Singha Durbar in the capital.
On Sunday, nearly 70 former Kamlaris had tried to enter the restricted zone at Singha Durbar after the government failed to respond to their sit-in protests at Ratna Park. They had come to Kathmandu from several Tarai districts of the far and the mid-west regions to demand proper investigations into the mysterious deaths of several former Kamlari girls, including Srijana Chaudhary in Lalitpur.
In addition, they also demanded that the government introduce rehabilitation packages for them. Nearly 10 years ago, when the government proclaimed the emancipation of Kamaiya bonded labourers, the Kamlaris were also included in the Kamaiya category. But, the former Kamlaris say the rehabilitation package meant for Kamaiyas was not extended to the Kamlaris.
Related story
Christmas brings Northeast blizzard, bitter cold in Midwest
