Nepal's Maoists have thrashed and beaten up four journalists while enforcing their strike in the national capital despite their commitment to respect press freedom. Sudarshan Ghimire of the Shikshak Monthly was beaten up by Maoists at Maharajgunj while he was riding a motorbike, according to the editor of the magazine Rajendra Dahal.

They also thrashed Arjun Bista in Bhaktapur, Gyanendra Niraula in Jhapa and Kashiram Sharma in Surkhet. The journalists were hit by sticks and rods by the Maoist cadre.

Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries, journalists, professionals and local people of Kathmandu have decided to stage a grand peace rally in Kathmandu on Friday to show protest against the Maoists' indefinite strike as it has severely affected the normal life.