FNCCI admits Vigilantes infiltrated demonstration and attacked Nepalese Maoists

Vigilante gangs broke off from civil society peace march, attacking protesters rocks and sticks. Police respond by tear-gassing canteen, beating Maoists who responded to the attack. Hindu-chauvinist groups attack Maoists with police assistance in the Terai, targetting leaders. Don’t believe the mainstream press. They smear the movement, portraying right-wing gangs as local residents and protesters as outsiders

A meeting of the UCPN (M)'s standing committee held Friday evening at party chairman Prachanda aka Pushpa Kamal Dahal's Naya Bazaar residence decided to end the general strike "in view of the difficulties caused by the general strike to ordinary people" and the violent confrontations taking place during the demonstrations.

The party will organise mass meetings followed by demonstrations in the capital other major other cities across the country on Saturday and will picket Singha Durbar on Sunday.

"We have decided to stop the general strike considering the difficulty caused to the ordinary people, and also in view of the conspiracy hatched by this government to instigate violence. But we have not stopped our people's movement-III," Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal told media persons after the meeting.

Dahal informed that the party would carry out a series of protest programmes until May 28, the deadline to issue the new constitution.

Describing the 22-party government as a "curse to the nation", the Maoist chairman, however, claimed that the protests were not aimed just to get the party in the power.