Toll in Nepal violence rises to 11, Modi calls for dialogue

Violence in Nepal continued unabated on Tuesday as thousands of people protesting the proposed new Constitution clashed with police in which one person was killed, taking the death toll to 11 and prompting authorities to deploy army in a riot-hit district bordering India.

A curfew imposed yesterday in Tikapur in Kailali district, where an infant and seven security personnel were killed continued for a second day on Tuesday.

Nepal has seen several protests in recent weeks against a new draft constitution being discussed by the Constituent Assembly but the unrest took an ugly turn yesterday with seven police officers, 2-year-old son of a police officer, and three protesters killed by agitators.

The protesters are against dividing the country in seven provinces with minority ethnic groups argueing that the new Constitution would discriminate against them and give them insufficient autonomy.

Police had earlier said eight security personnel were killed in the violence yesterday but later revised the toll to 7.

Police opened fire at protesters in Gaur in southern Nepal on Tuesday after they hurled stones defying ban on demonstrations, killing a person.

The administration also decided to deploy army in parts of Kailali district, worst hit by violence, after a meeting of District Security Committee declared the area as riot zone, according to home ministry sources.

Besides Tikapur Municipality and Trishakti Municipality, eight villages of the district including Pathariya, Durgauli, Dansinhapur, Manowa, Narayanipur, Joshipur, Khailad, Bahauniya have been declared as riot zones.

Earlier in the morning, the protesters set ablaze some houses in the area.

In Kathmandu, hundreds of students staged a peace rally on Tuesday to protest against the killing of policemen in a heinous manner in Kailali.

Two of the policemen were burnt to death by the mob in the incident, which sparked widespread criticism in Nepal.

Concerned over the violence in neighbouring Nepal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked the political leadership in the country to resolve all outstanding issues through dialogue among all stakeholders through widest possible consultations.

Modi, who called up Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, also expressed sorrow at the loss of lives in the violence and extended his condolences to the families of the deceased.

A new national Constitution presented in the Constituent Assembly, the national parliament, aims to restructure Nepal as a federal state made up of seven provinces.

Demonstrators have been protesting against the draft charter, saying the proposed provinces fail to ensure political representation for marginalised communities.