Nepal PM Shah appeals for calm as curfew extends to new areas, toll rises to 3

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Thursday appealed for calm and harmony after three people died in communal violence in border districts, prompting authorities to extend the curfew to new areas.

In a televised address to the nation, Shah said that the government would ensure a neutral and transparent investigation into the recent violence and hold those responsible accountable.

The violence erupted on Sunday night in the Kaptangunj area of Devganj rural municipality in Sunsari district in Koshi province when members of two communities, who were separately organising programmes, clashed over the use of loudspeakers and the display of religious flags.

On Thursday, violence spread to neighbouring Madhesh province, where a teenager died in the clashes that erupted in Golbazar market in Siraha district. One person, who was injured in the Sunsari violence, died in Koshi province, officials said.

An indefinite curfew was imposed in parts of Dhanusa, Siraha and Birgunj districts of Madhesh province on Thursday, while in Sunsari district, where curfew was first imposed on Monday, it remained in force.

In his address, Prime Minister Shah said the government was looking into the incidents in Sunsari's Devganj and parts of Siraha with the "utmost seriousness and sensitivity."

Shah said the government had instructed health authorities to ensure prompt treatment for those injured.

He said the home ministry had already formed an investigation committee to examine the incidents and promised that the inquiry would be impartial and transparent.

Security forces have been deployed to prevent further violence and restore normalcy, he added.

The home minister travelled to the affected areas to oversee the security situation, while the National Security Council reviewed the unrest and took necessary decisions, he said.

The Prime Minister said that an all-party meeting has been convened in Kathmandu and that dialogue was continuing to ease tensions.

Shah urged the public not to spread rumours, misinformation or hate speech through social media or other platforms.

In a related development, the District Administration Office of Parsa in Madhesh province issued prohibitory orders in parts of Birgunj Metropolitan City as precautionary measures. The orders were issued after demonstrations by some people in response to the violence in Sunsari.

The prohibitory orders applied to areas between Pratima Chowk in the east, Tilabe Bridge in the west, Gandak Chowk in the north and Shankaracharya Gate in the south of Birgunj, bordering Raxaul in Bihar, according to a notice issued by DAO Parsa.

Under the prohibitory orders, assembly of five or more people are prohibited; no demonstration, sit-in, public meeting or meeting is allowed. The prohibitory order will be in effect from 5 pm Thursday till 6 am Friday, the officials said.

Earlier on Thursday, various parts of Dhanusa, including Laxminia Hatbazaar, Belauni Road, Nagarain Municipality, Dudhmati bridge and Janakpur, were placed under curfew from 3:30 pm for an indefinite period as a precautionary measure due to communal tensions, Assistant Chief District Officer of Dhanusha Bhudev Jha said.

Sunsari's Assistant Chief District Officer Poshan Lamichhane on Thursday said the security situation in the district is gradually improving, but the administration extended the curfew to ten areas, including the East-West Highway, to control the situation.

Several lawmakers, including Basna Thapa of Nepali Congress and Oren Rai of Shram Sanskriti Party, drew the attention of the government towards the growing tension in the southern Nepal districts, including Sunsari, while speaking in Parliament on Thursday.

President Ramchandra Paudel expressed deep concern over the situation and appealed for social, religious and communal harmony and national unity.

"Goodwill, reconciliation and brotherhood are the unique features of the identity and tradition of the Nepalese people, in a country characterised by a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-racial society,” President Paudel said in a statement.

He also called upon agencies concerned to take stern action against the culprits by conducting a neutral and factual investigation into the incident.

Sunsari, situated in southeastern Nepal along the border with India's Bihar, is a crucial transit and commercial corridor between the two countries. The southern districts of Madhesh and Koshi provinces also share borders with Bihar.