Nepal authorities extend curfew to Saptari as communal unrest spreads
Nepalese authorities on Friday imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of Saptari district bordering India after protests broke out over the recent communal violence in neighbouring Sunsari.
President Ram Chandra Paudel and Prime Minister Balendra Shah have expressed deep concern over the tense situation and appealed for calm, unity and restraint.
The District Administration Office, Saptari, imposed the curfew in parts of Rajbiraj municipality from 8:00 am as a precautionary measure after groups of people staged protests in reaction to the communal clashes.
Tensions have persisted in several districts in Nepal since communal clashes erupted in Sunsari over the weekend, prompting authorities to impose curfews, prohibitory orders and step up security deployment.
The latest order brings the number of districts under curfew to four.
Curfew orders are already in force in parts of Sunsari, Dhanusha and Siraha districts, all located in Nepal's southern Terai region along the Indian border, as authorities struggle to contain tensions that have claimed three lives so far.
One person was killed and more than a dozen people, including security personnel, were injured when police opened fire to disperse clashing groups after a dispute during celebrations by two religious communities on Sunday.
The violence broke out after members of the two communities, who were holding separate programmes, clashed over the use of loudspeakers and the display of religious flags. A verbal altercation escalated into violence, prompting security personnel to intervene.
On Thursday, violence spread to neighbouring Madhesh province, where a teenager died in the clashes that erupted in Siraha district. One person, who was injured in the Sunsari violence, died in Koshi province, officials said.
Meanwhile, the District Security Committee in the border district of Sarlahi has decided to make it mandatory for people entering Nepal from across the border to carry valid identity documents, Assistant Chief District Officer Hom Prasad Ghimire said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, President Paudel urged all political parties, civil society organisations and citizens to maintain peace and order and strengthen national unity.
Appealing for calm and harmony, Prime Minister Shah, in a televised address to the nation on Thursday, said the government would ensure a neutral and transparent investigation into the recent violence and hold those responsible accountable.
In a separate incident, a police constable sustained a bullet injury after being shot by an unidentified assailant in Lahan municipality of Siraha district on Thursday night.
Constable Narad Pariyar was hit in the right thigh and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Biratnagar, police said.
