One more protester died in police firing on Tuesday in Birganj, where violent clashes continued for the 16th day of an indefinite shutdown enforced by the Madhesi parties opposed to proposed federal demarcations in the new constitution.
Dharma Raj Singh was killed on Tuesday when police opened fire at an agitated crowd defying a curfew in Radhemai of Birganj, said Superintendent of Police Diwesh Lohani.
On Monday, 35-year-old Dilip Chaurasiya was killed by a police bullet when protesters brandishing spades and spears started attacking police posts and government offices.
"They are attacking us everywhere with home-made weapons," SP Lohani told Nepali Times. Protesters have defied a curfew clamped by the local administration, forcing police to open fire to bring the situation under control.
Police also opened fire outside the Narayani Sub Regional Hospital, where Chaurasiya's body was kept and other injured protesters were receiving treatment. Policeman Narendra Chaudhary, 35-year-old Sudeep Lama and 45-year-old Etwariya Devi were injured in the hospital shootout.
Police patrol on a road in Kalaiya of Bara district after a violent clash on Tuesday. Photo: Shyam GuptaLocal Madhesi party leaders allege that police opened fire targeting, a charge denied by SP Lohani who said the three were hit by richeting bullets.
Two of the injured, Binod Mahato and Amiri Lal Pal, are said to be in critical condition. They are undergoing treatment at the same hospital outside which police opened fire.
Protesters set the Inland Revenue Office of Birgunj on fire damaging equipment. They also vandalised the Armed Police Force (APF) and Nepal Police offices in Bhiswa and Amarpatti of Parsa. APF and police personnel from these posts have now shifted to the district headquarters.
Other central Tarai districts like Bara and Mahottari are also tense. In Kalaiya of Bara district, at least five protesters have been injured in sporadic clashes with police.
An alliance of Madhesi parties has imposed an indefinite strike across the Tarai protesting the new federal set up. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala last week sent a letter urging them to sit in talks and resolve the issues peacefully, but the parties demanded a suspension of the constitution drafting process – a precondition rejected by the ruling parties.
Meanwhile, shutdown continues in western plain districts where Tharuhat Struggle Committee has been on the warpath demanding an autonomous Tharuhat state.