Normal life in six districts in eastern Nepal has been thrown out of gear due to a bandh (shutdown strike) called by Tharuwan Kochila State Committee on Wednesday.

Transportation services and marketplaces in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha and Udaypur remain closed from early morning due to the bandh. However, there were no reports of violent incidents in course of the bandh.

The group led by Maoist lawmaker Santosh Tharu called the strike demanding a separate ‘Kochila state’ and "group entry" of youths from indigenous communities from this region into the army.

The Tharuwan body has said the government failed to formally invite it for talks despite the announcement that it was ready to discuss the demands at the negotiating table. nepalnews.com