Kathmandu - At least one person was killed and several others injured Tuesday after protestors in south-eastern Nepal set fire to a bus with passengers still inside, police said. The violence flared up in Saptari district, about 350 kilometres south-east of the Nepalese capital Kathmandu, on Tuesday morning, when protestors enforcing a general strike in the area attacked the bus, police said.
The strike was called by the ethnic Madesh Janatantrik Party to protest the death of its cadre who was killed in clashes with police earlier this week.
"The strike supporters set fire to the bus with passengers still inside, accusing them of defying their strike," Saptari district police office said. Police said the Mashes Janatantrik Party cadres did not give the passengers time to get out of the bus before setting it on fire.
"The person who died was at the back of the bus and was asleep when the incident happened," the police said. "He could not get out as the fire quickly engulfed the bus, trapping him inside."
Police said they were unable to identify the passenger as his body was charred beyond recognition. Another five passengers were injured in the incident.
No one had been arrested and investigations were underway, the police said.
Madesh Janatantrik Party is one of several armed groups operating in Nepal's restive southern plains known as Terai.
The group has been accused of murder, extortion and abduction of civil servants and its opponents.
The attack came as the government prepared to hold talks with armed rebel groups in Terai.
The Nepalese government has said more than a dozen groups were now in contact and that the formal negotiations would be held soon.
However, there are widely differing views among the armed rebels on the peace talks, with some putting forward pre-conditions and others demanding changes to the government negotiation team.
Hundreds of people have died in violence in southern Nepal in the past two years. Repeated government attempts to bring the rebels for talks to end the violence have so far failed.
