Violent protests against Nepal's draft constitution hit Kathmandu streets
Protests continue on Kathmandu streets as anger over proposed constitution boils over and spreads among lawmakers in parliament
Opposition parties staged a general strike to shut down Nepal on Tuesday as politicians threw chairs and attacked the parliamentary speaker in a bid to block the government from pushing through the draft of a new constitution.
They backed up a call for the strike in the Himalayan nation with violence, attacking buses and taxis, and forcing schools and markets to close.
The Constituent Assembly meeting began at 2am on Tuesday but turned violent when opposition members tried to stop Speaker Subash Nemwang from proposing the formation of a questionnaire committee, a measure that would precede voting on the constitutional draft later in the week.
They threw chairs, kicked over desks and tossed microphones at the speaker. In the tussle, several security guards were injured but the legislators suffered only bruises.
The ruling coalition – which has support of two-thirds of the members in the 605-member assembly – plans to push through the first draft of the new constitution on Thursday.