Kathmandu - Growing protests against a controversial oath-taking in the Hindi language by Vice President Parmananda Jha crippled business and transport in several places across Nepal on Monday.

The protests, which began as low-scale demonstrations by students last week, snowballed Monday, shutting down shops, schools and main markets in the capital and halted transport elsewhere.

Groups of protestors manned main intersections burning tires and stopping vehicles. They also vandalised the office of Madhesi Janadhikar Forum, the party which Jha represents.

Police said at least six people, including two officers, were injured in clashes in Kathmandu, when they tried to stop protestors from setting fire to a vehicle.

"Police fired tear gas and baton charged the protestors to take control of situation in several places," the Kathmandu district police office said.

Protestors forcefully shut down shops across the city and burnt effigies of the vice president.

"The protestors threatened to vandalise our shops if we did not shut them down," said Rakesh Agarwal, a shop owner in a busy commercial area of New Road. "We complied as we did not want to take chances."

The protests came after the country's first-ever vice president opted to take his swearing in oath in Hindi instead of the national language Nepali or in his mother tongue Maithali.

The protestors say the vice president's actions violated Nepal's constitution and are calling for a public apology and retaking of the oath in Nepali.

Elsewhere in the country, protestors shut down the main highway linking southern Nepal with Kathmandu. Thousands of people were stranded on the highway.

Anti vice president protests were reported from at least a dozen towns across Nepal.

Meanwhile, the Nepalese Supreme Court began hearings into a writ challenging the legality of Jha's swearing in.

The writ has asked for Supreme Court injunction to stop the vice president from assuming work until he retakes the oath in Nepali.

Vice President Jha has said he will abide by the court order.

Jha, an ethnic Madhesi, was elected to the post on July 19 after defeating a Maoist candidate. (dpa)