Curfews remained in force in all of these districts on Friday, while rallies calling for communal harmony were also organised in several parts of the country.
KATHMANDU — Communal violence that began in Sunsari district of Nepal earlier this week spilled into the country’s Madhes region on Thursday, taking the death count to three amid a nationwide curfew and a delayed first-time address by Prime Minister Balen Shah.
The prime minister, who hails from the Madhes region, the smallest and most densely populated southeastern province of the country that is bordered by India’s Bihar on its south, is now under fire over his apparently late reaction to the developing situation.
The violence, which began Sunday night in Sunsari district of Koshi, spread across the Madhes region by Thursday. The province of Koshi, to the north and east of Madhes, also borders Bihar.
The unrest, according to reports, began when Hindus in Sunsari, a district of the Koshi province, were proceeding toward the Koshi Barrage with holy water as part of a Bolbam procession, the Nepal equivalent of India’s Kaawad Yatra. The procession featured loud devotional music, which the local Muslim community objected to. What began as a verbal disagreement escalated into a violent confrontation, with people from both communities armed with sticks, stones, and bamboo poles confronting each other.
Online misinformation reportedly led to escalation of tensions in the region. Personnel from the Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were deployed to control the situation.
Amid escalating violence, Shah addressed the nation on Thursday evening, calling the unrest “a most sensitive and delicate moment” as he sought to project confidence in the state’s response, promising that an investigation ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs would be ‘completely impartial and transparent” and that anyone found responsible would face legal consequences.
“The government is committed to bringing to justice whoever is found guilty,” Shah said.
Prime Minister Balen Shahh on Friday held meetings with Madhes-based political parties and lawmakers from the region over the communal unrest engulfing several districts in the country’s southern province.
Three people have lost their lives so far in the violence engulfing the region.
For long, Shah had avoided consultations with opposition political parties, addressing Parliament and even briefing President Ram Chandra Poudel regularly. His approach departed from the long-standing tradition of Nepal’s parliamentary democracy, under which Prime Ministers consult opposition parties on major national issues, particularly during times of crisis. But communal violence in Madhes province bordering India has now forced him to break the silence he had maintained for weeks.
According to the Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Shah invited the leaders to discuss ways to resolve the tensions that first surfaced in Sunsari district and later spread to several other Madhes districts, as well as measures to restore communal harmony.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister sought the leaders’ views on maintaining law and order in Madhes and preventing similar incidents in the future.
The participating leaders said they had offered suggestions to address the problems in several Tarai districts and found the PM to be sensitive and committed to resolving the situation.
The meeting was attended by Dr. C K Raut, Mahanta Thakur, Rajendra Mahato, Lalbabu Raut, Shamim Miya Ansari, Ram K Sharma, Prabhu Sah, Amaresh Kumar Singh, Sharat Singh Bhandari, Jayakant Raut and other leaders, most of whom represent political parties that are not represented in the House of Representatives but have strong support in the crisis-hit region.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the leaders said such dialogue would play an important role in resolving the crisis.
Janamat Party Chair Raut described it as a very positive step that Shah had, for the first time, held discussions with Madhes-centric political parties. He said the leaders had also presented suggestions for resolving the problems in some southern Tarai districts.
Earlier in the day, Shah also held a separate meeting with lawmakers representing the Madhes region, most of them from his own party, the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The discussions focused on the recent incidents in the region and the situation that has emerged in their aftermath.
Amid criticism over his alleged inaction in calming the situation in Madhes, Shah initiated political consultations with leaders representing the region, acknowledging them as key stakeholders.
The incident triggered a wave of protests and violence in other parts of Madhes, including Siraha district. Authorities imposed curfews in parts of Siraha and Janakpurdham in Dhanusha district, while prohibitory orders were issued in Parsa district, all of which border India.
Curfews remained in force in all of these districts on Friday, while rallies calling for communal harmony were also organised in several parts of the country.
Meanwhile, RSP President Lamichhane held a meeting with Hindu and Muslim religious leaders to discuss ways to restore peace.
Following the meeting with Lamichhane, leaders of religious organisations issued a joint appeal urging the public to remain calm and refrain from engaging in provocative or hateful activities or any actions that could disrupt social harmony. — Wth inputs from IANS
