The Joint Struggle Committee (JSC), which comprises caste-based organisations representing Brahmins (Bahuns), Chhetris, Dashnamis and Dalits, has called off all its protest programmes including the indefinite Nepal bandh on Thursday.

The Committee has withdrawn the protest programmes after the government addressed all their demands in a three-point agreement signed between the two sides in Singha Durbar late Thursday night.

As per the agreement, the government has agreed to include Brahmins and Chhetris in the indigenous list as Arya Khas, effectively awarding the community Janjati status they had long been clamouring for.

Similarly, the government has also addressed the demand of Arya Khas not to federate the country based on ethnicity and language, assuring that the names of the states will only be determined by the provincial assemblies.

The Committee formed by Bahman Samaj, Khas Chhetri Samaj, Thakuri Samaj, Dalit Janajagaran Sangh, Dashnami Samaj and Federation of Marginalised Group had enforced nationwide strike on Thursday to protest against ethnicity-based federalism. It had enforced similar two-day nationwide bandh on May 10th, saying that ethnicity-based federalism will only disrupt communal harmony and disintegrate the country. Nepalnews.com