Curfew relaxed in various parts of Nepal's Madhesh province

Curfew imposed in different parts of southern Nepal's Madhesh province over the tense situations was lifted on Monday as normalcy returned. The Rautahat district administration lifted the curfew in Gaur municipality on Monday at 10:00 am after days of unrest due to clashes that erupted between two groups over a wedding procession dispute. The curfew has been in place since Saturday. The marketplaces, vehicular movement and educational institutions came into operation after the curfew was revoked. Representatives of all political parties in Rautahat earlier issued a public appeal to maintain communal harmony and mutual respect. The appeal came after continuous discussions involving representatives from all sides, urging preservation of a peaceful and calm environment. A peace rally was also organised in Gaur on Monday morning in an attempt to restore peace and goodwill in the area. At least eight people, including two policemen, were injured in the incident. Earlier, the local authorities had deployed hundreds of riot police personnel in the tension area to prevent clashes. In another incident, a curfew was imposed after tension surfaced between the two groups over the issue of parking at the Shreepur area of Birgunj metropolitan city on Sunday. According to Chief District Officer of Parsa, Bhola Dahal, the curfew order was issued after tension surfaced between the two groups over the issue of parking at the Shreepur area of Birgunj metropolitan city on Sunday. The Parsa District Administration Office (DAO) lifted the curfew imposed in parts of Birgunj Metropolitan City effective from Monday evening after the situation returned to normal, as reviewed by the district security committee. The curfew was in place since 9:45 am on Monday and was lifted from 4:30 pm as the situation became somewhat peaceful in Birgunj, according to a notice issued by the DAO, Parsa. However, restrictive orders have been issued from 4:30 pm on Monday to 8 am on Tuesday to prevent any untoward situation. During the period, any type of demonstration, gathering and rally are not allowed in the area.