AMID mounting protests against Nepal’s Vice-President Parmananda Jha for taking oath of office in Hindi, demonstrators across Nepal on Sunday demanded that he either resign or tender a public apology, with students blocking transport services and burning his effigies.

The protests against 61-year-old Jha, who had taken the oath in Hindi wearing the Indian attire of dhoti-kurta on Wednesday, continued across the country for the fifth straight day despite the Vice-President saying he had used the language because his Madhesi People’s Rights Forum party wanted to establish it as one of the national languages in Nepal.

Transport services were blocked in Itahari, Nawalparasi and Chitawan while markets were closed in Jhapa, Dhading and Dhankuta to protest against Jha’s Hindi use during the swearing-in ceremony.

A vehicle with an Indian number plate was also damaged in Chitawan district of southern Nepal by the protestors , a local television channel reported.

In Kathmandu, students came out of the colleges and blocked roads in front of the educational institutions, according to eye witnesses.

In Banepa near Kathmandu, the students took out a protest march and also burnt Jha’s effigies.

The protestors said they will continue the agitation till Jha resigns or apologise publicly.

Jha on Saturday attended a public function, wearing the national dress Daura Surwal, in the midst of protests across the country against him. He appeared with Nepal’s new President Ram Baran Yadav at the 1,600-year-old chariot festival Bhotojatra amid tight security at Jawalakhel in Kathmandu.

Jha had defended himself saying he did not intend to hurt the sentiments of the Nepalese. The Vice-President argued that there are over two lakh people in Nepal who speak Hindi, which is a common language in the Terai dominated by the Madhesi community.