Nepal imposes Saptari curfew as Sunsari communal violence spreads

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Jul 31, 2026 12:02 IST

Nepalese authorities on Friday imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of Saptari district bordering India after protests broke out over the recent communal violence in neighbouring Sunsari. The fresh restrictions come as tensions continue in several districts in southern Nepal, with curfews, prohibitory orders and increased security deployment already in place.

With the latest order, the number of districts under curfew has risen to four. Curfew orders are already in force in parts of Sunsari, Dhanusha and Siraha districts in Nepal's southern Terai region along the Indian border, where the violence has claimed three lives so far.

The District Administration Office imposed the curfew in parts of Rajbiraj municipality from 8 am as a precautionary measure after groups of people staged protests in reaction to the communal clashes. Authorities moved to tighten restrictions as the unrest spread beyond Sunsari.

In Sunsari, one person was killed and more than a dozen people, including security personnel, were injured when police opened fire to disperse clashing groups after a dispute during celebrations by two religious communities on Sunday. The violence began after members of the two communities, who were holding separate programmes, clashed over the use of loudspeakers and the display of religious flags. A verbal altercation then escalated into violence, prompting security personnel to intervene.

On Thursday, the violence spread to neighbouring Madhesh province, where a teenager died in clashes in Siraha district. Officials said one person who was injured in the Sunsari violence also died in Koshi province. In a separate incident, police said constable Narad Pariyar sustained a bullet injury after being shot by an unidentified assailant in Lahan municipality of Siraha district on Thursday night. He was hit in the right thigh and is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Biratnagar.

Meanwhile, the District Security Committee in the border district of Sarlahi has decided to make it mandatory for people entering Nepal from across the border to carry valid identity documents, Assistant Chief District Officer Hom Prasad Ghimire said. Appealing for calm and harmony, Prime Minister Balendra Shah said in a televised address to the nation on Thursday that the government would ensure a neutral and transparent investigation into the recent violence and hold those responsible accountable.

The latest curfew in Saptari adds to the restrictions already in place across southern Nepal as authorities try to contain communal tensions that began in Sunsari and later spread to other districts, leaving three people dead and several others injured.

With PTI Inputs

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