Radical Maoist party workers hold protest against govt's ban; torch bus in Nepal

A passenger bus carrying a wedding procession was torched by the workers of a radical Maoist party in Western Nepal protesting against the government's move to ban their party.

The cadres of CPN-Maoist led by Netra Bikram Chand, a faction of the previous Maoist party, torched the bus after the passengers were taken out of the vehicle in Badaipur of Kailali district, police said.

The bus was completely damaged in the incident. Three persons were taken into police custody while they were trying to stop vehicles.

Major cities of Nepal were partially affected as the CPN-Maoist enforced a nation-wide strike after the government decided to put a ban on the party.

The Nepal Communist Party was formed after the then Maoist Party broke-off into groups.

The government after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday banned the radical Maoist party after it carried out a series of bomb attacks in the capital Kathmandu.

The government said that the Chand-led group was engaged in criminal activities by detonating bombs at infrastructure projects and disturbing peace and security.

The announcement was made after the government's efforts to hold talks with the party failed.

One person was killed and two others injured last month when the Communist Party of Nepal, led by the former Maoist guerrilla, detonated a bomb outside the office of a telecom company in Kathmandu.

Maoist rebels fought an armed insurgency against state security forces between 1996 and 2006 that killed more than 16,000 people. A peace accord was signed in November 2006.