Nepal widens curfew to Madhesh after Sunsari communal violence

Kathmandu,UPDATED: Jul 30, 2026 16:46 IST

Nepalese authorities have imposed a curfew in parts of Madhesh province amid growing security concerns after communal violence in neighbouring Koshi province's Sunsari district earlier this week left one person dead and several others injured. The curfew has been enforced in Dhanusa and Siraha districts as a precautionary measure.

The move comes as the curfew first imposed in Sunsari on Monday was extended indefinitely on Wednesday. Prime Minister Balendra Shah has also called a meeting of the Security Council later in the day to review the security situation in the country, especially in Sunsari district.

In Dhanusa, various areas including Laxminia Hatbazaar, Belauni Road, Nagarain Municipality, Dudhmati bridge and Janakpur were placed under curfew from 3:30 pm for an indefinite period, Assistant Chief District Officer of Dhanusha Bhudev Jha said. In Siraha district, a curfew was imposed in the Golbazaar area of the East-West Highway from 2 pm, according to a notice issued by the District Administrative Office, Siraha.

In Sunsari district, 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 in the Kaptangunj area on Sunday. Assistant Chief District Officer Poshan Lamichhane said on Thursday that the security situation in Sunsari district was gradually improving. The district administration has extended the curfew to ten areas, including the East-West Highway, and it will remain in force until further notice. Under the curfew, movement of people, gatherings, demonstrations, public meetings and sit-ins have been prohibited. Security has also been stepped up in various sensitive areas and government offices.

Several lawmakers, including Basna Thapa of Nepali Congress and Oren Rai of Shram Sanskriti Party, raised the issue of growing tension in the southern Nepal districts, including Sunsari, in Parliament on Thursday. Sunsari, in southeastern Nepal along the border with Bihar, is a key transit and commercial corridor between the two countries, and the authorities have tightened curbs as they try to contain the situation.

With PTI Inputs

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