Hindu group calls for shutdown in west Nepal

KATHMANDU - Western Nepal remained paralysed Tuesday as a little-known Hindu organisation enforced a shutdown demanding the restoration of Hinduism as the state religion, the second such disruptive protest since March.

The Bhishma Ekta Parishad, an obscure organisation that claims to have been founded about four years ago by a Hindu, who calls himself \”Sindhu\”, forced transport, businesses, markets and educational institutions in western Nepal to remain shut for the second day, threatening retribution to those defying the closure.

Two motorcycles were set ablaze on the Surkhet highway Tuesday while members of the group tried to attack a car in Nepalgunj town near the Indian border.

The group is demanding that Nepal, once the only Hindu kingdom in the world, be declared a Hindu state once again.

Nepal\’s parliament declared the country secular in 2006 after increasing political turbulence in a bid to chip away the power wielded by King Gyanendra as the world\’s sole Hindu emperor.

However, the house\’s failure to promulgate a new constitution last month, which would have consolidated the secular nature of the Himalayan republic, has emboldened many Hindu groups and political leaders who are now calling for restoration of a Hindu state.

The Parishad is also calling for the cow to be declared Nepal\’s national animal.

The cow is considered sacred by Hindus and cow slaughter remains a punishable offence even after Nepal became secular.

The underground organisation is also calling for a referendum on major issues, like the restoration of a Hindu state.

The group made its existence known in March when it enforced a two-day general strike in western Nepal with the same demands.

It is also asking Nepal\’s warring major parties to reach a consensus.

However, the ruling parties and the opposition Maoists remained deadlocked in a power struggle even on Tuesday.

A meeting between Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal\’s Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist and the Maoists ended fruitless Tuesday after the former rebels stuck to their year-long demand for the premier\’s resignation and the latter refused to step down.

The protracted feud has resulted in the parties\’ failure to draft a new constitution within two years.

Though the government averted a dire constitutional crisis last month by persuading the Maoists to extend the tenure of parliament by one more year, almost a month has now gone by without the old feud showing any sign of