Tension in Dewangunj of Sunsari district has begun to ease after the Nepal Army was mobilized.
Dewangunj and surrounding areas had remained tense after a clash on Sunday night that left one person dead and nine others injured by gunfire.
The Nepal Army was mobilized after angry locals in Dewangunj and surrounding areas defied the curfew and took to the streets in protest.
Bechan Prasad Mehta, chairman of Dewangunj Rural Municipality, said that the situation had begun to return to normal after the army was deployed.
“The situation was tense, but it has started returning to normal after the army was mobilized,” he said. “At present, no one is on the streets at the incident site or in the surrounding areas.”
According to Mehta, angry protestors vandalized the house of the ward chairperson of Dewangunj-3.
He said that security personnel stopped the protestors from setting the house on fire. He said that a civilian’s house was also set ablaze.
Om Prakash Mehta of the same locality died after being shot by police during a clash in Kaptangunj, Dewangunj-3, on Sunday night. Of the nine people injured by gunfire, two are in serious condition, Mehta said. The injured are receiving treatment at various hospitals in Biratnagar.
Although the administration had imposed a curfew following the incident, protests began around noon on Monday in defiance of the order.
The Nepal Army was mobilized after the situation reportedly spiraled out of control as protestors began vandalizing and setting fire to property.
The District Administration Office, Sunsari, had imposed a curfew in five areas in and around Dewangunj from Monday morning.
Meanwhile, leaders of political parties and various social and religious organizations in Sunsari have appealed to people to maintain social harmony. Following an all-party meeting held at the District Administration Office earlier, they called for an investigation into the incident and urged everyone to remain calm.
