Eight-party leaders visit Nepalgunj; normalcy returns

Leaders of the eight parties flew to Nepalgunj Thursday to assess the situation there, as part of defusing the communal tension that gripped the mid-western town for nearly 48 hours since Tuesday morning.

Nepali Congress vice-chairman Sushil Koirala, CPN (UML) acting general secretary Amrit Bohara, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara, vice-chairman of the People’s Front Lilamani Pokhrel and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party leader Prem Suwal visited parts of Nepalgunj that saw the worst violence on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Agriculture minister Mahantha Thakur and commerce minister and Nepal Sadbhwana Party leader Hridayesh Tripathi were also in Nepalgunj to assess the situation.

Reports said the leaders held interaction with representatives of different communities and regions and cautioned them that there might be conspiracies in the coming days to disturb the communal harmony. They also discussed the security situation with administrative and security officials.

The situation in Nepalgunj returned to normal today with no reports of violence in the town. The District Administration of Banke lifted the curfew orders, first imposed on Tuesday, from this morning. Thousands of people of different communities and political parties participated in a “goodwill and peace rally” organised by the CPN (Maoist) in the afternoon.

At least one person was killed and dozens others injured and properties worth millions of rupees were damaged in the violent clashes. Unruly mobs ransacked shops, burned down vehicles and the attacked local residents a day after the Terai bandh (general strike) called by the Nepal Sadbhwana Party (Anandi Devi) on Monday. However, the party has claimed it had no role in fueling communal tension in the area and that anti-democratic elements were behind the riots. nepalnews.com mk Dec 28 08