KATHMANDU: The Koshi Provincial Government has announced relief assistance for victims of the recent violence in Dewanganj, Sunsari, including Rs200,000 for the family of the deceased and Rs50,000 each for those injured and families whose homes, shops or other property were damaged in arson attacks.
The announcement was made following an all-party and multi-stakeholder meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki on Wednesday. The meeting also endorsed an eight-point action plan aimed at restoring peace, security and communal harmony.
The meeting was convened in response to the violence that erupted on July 26 (Shrawan 10).
Participants paid tribute to Om Prakash Mehta, who was killed in the incident, and expressed condolences to his family while wishing those injured a speedy recovery.
The meeting decided to strengthen coordination among political parties, civil society organisations and the local administration to promote social harmony and communal unity.
It also agreed to organise all-party and multi-stakeholder meetings at the local government level and conduct programmes aimed at fostering harmony and reconciliation.
In coordination with local authorities, the province will also organise goodwill marches, public awareness campaigns and other initiatives to promote peace and social cohesion at the community level.
The meeting further called on organisations representing all religious communities to issue a joint appeal for peace and play an active role in promoting social harmony. It also stressed the need for heightened security vigilance along border areas to prevent undesirable activities.
The provincial government decided to request the federal government to provide relief to the family of the deceased and ensure treatment for those injured.
It also urged district administrations in the affected and surrounding areas to strengthen security measures to prevent similar incidents from recurring.
Chief Minister Karki called on all stakeholders to act responsibly and exercise restraint during the sensitive situation, urging everyone to refrain from activities that could undermine communal harmony.
The meeting was attended by representatives of major political parties, including Rastriya Swatantra Party provincial chair Chandra Bahadur Rai, Nepali Congress provincial president Uddhav Thapa, CPN-UML provincial chair Ghanshyam Khatiwada, as well as senior security officials and government representatives.
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