Kathmandu 1 June 2009: The Joint Action Committee for Newa Autonomous State (JACNAS) organized a shut down program in the capital Kathmandu and other 11 districts in support of making these districts a Newa Autonomous State.

More than 39 Vehicle have been reported to be vandalized by the cadres of JACNAS, where the police were seen high on alert from yesterday. Though no case of causality or death has been reported till date but a dozens of carders were injured during the clashes with police at different places while protesting and vandalizing the public property.

The JACNAS has been demanding to declare 12 districts including the capital Kathmandu as a Newa Autonomous State and has also demanded the cancellation of the Kathmandu Valley Urban Development Bill.

Furthermore, a gathering was organized at Hanuman Durbar Square where Hisila Yami, a Maoist leader addressed the crowd at around 4PM. Speaking at the meeting Yami said “Kathmandu belongs to the local Newar community and it should be declared as a Newa State where the people from the past have suffered the consequence. Now its time that the valley should be declared as a Newa State where her party and she strongly believes will serve justice to the Newar community.”

Due to the shutdown program the normal life of Kathmandu valley was completely halted where all the shops, business houses, educational institutions, transportation system remained closed. The shut down program mostly affected the tourists and normal daily wages earning people who were stranded either due to lack of transportation or work.

More or less with an unstable government and chaos happenings, Nepal faces new challenges of diversity where unity lies at the stake of communalization and power politics.

By Shreedeep Rayamajhi