KATHMANDU: Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) lawmaker Lal Bikram Thapa has questioned the police use of force during Sunday’s deadly communal clash in Sunsari, alleging that security personnel fired directly at civilians instead of following standard crowd-control procedures.
Thapa, who visited the incident site in Dewanganj Rural Municipality on Monday, claimed that security forces used excessive and potentially lethal force while attempting to disperse the crowd.
“Our innocent youths were deliberately shot. Looking at the condition of the injured, most have bullet wounds above the waist, including in the abdomen and back,” Thapa said.
He argued that during crowd control operations, security personnel should aim below the knees rather than at vital parts of the body.
“It appears the shots were fired with the intention of killing rather than controlling the crowd,” he alleged.
Thapa also expressed concern that the incident could be portrayed as a religious conflict to divert attention from what he described as the government’s failure to manage the situation. He urged the administration to exercise restraint and prevent any further escalation of violence.
The clash broke out on Sunday night in Kaptanganj New Hatiya, Dewanganj Rural Municipality-3, following a dispute reportedly triggered by loud music played during a Bolbam procession.
Police opened fire while trying to restore order. Authorities said 30-year-old Om Prakash Mehta of Dewanganj Rural Municipality-4 was killed in the firing.
The incident also left 22 people injured, including nine civilians, eight Nepal Police personnel and five Armed Police Force personnel.
Following the violence, the district administration imposed an indefinite curfew in parts of Dewanganj and Harinagar from Monday morning to prevent further unrest.
Police and the district administration have not publicly responded to Thapa’s allegations, and the circumstances surrounding the police firing remain under investigation.
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