Representational.
Kathmandu: A communal clash in Nepal’s Sunsari district, located along the India border, left one person dead and more than a dozen injured, including security personnel, forcing authorities to impose indefinite prohibitory orders across parts of the district, according to reports.
The District Administration Office, Sunsari, enforced the restrictions from 7:00 am on Monday, July 27, covering five market areas in the Koshi province. The orders prohibit gatherings of more than four people, demonstrations, public meetings and sit-ins until further notice. Violations can lead to a fine of NPR 500, imprisonment of up to one month, or both.
The violence erupted on Sunday night in the Kaptangunj area of Devgunj rural municipality after members of two religious communities, who were holding separate programmes, clashed over the use of loudspeakers and the display of religious flags. A verbal dispute between the groups escalated into violence, prompting security forces to intervene.
During efforts to restore order, security personnel opened fire, killing 24-year-old Om Prakash Mehta. Police said more than a dozen people, including security personnel, were injured in the confrontation.
Sunsari, situated in southeastern Nepal, shares a border with India’s Bihar and remains an important transit and commercial corridor between the two countries.