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Agence France-Presse

Nepal police shot dead a protester as fresh clashes erupted in the country’s southern plains on Tuesday, a day after an 18-month-old boy and seven officers died during demonstrations against a new constitution.
Monday’s violence in Tikapur prompted the government to deploy troops in the town overnight, while the country’s human rights watchdog sent a team to monitor the situation.
In the latest clashes, police fired into a crowd of about 150 demonstrators who were throwing stones at security personnel in the town of Gaur in Rautahat district, 100km south of Kathmandu, a local official said.
“Police were forced to use tear gas and fire (shots), a protester was hit and he died on the way to hospital,” district chief, Madan Bhujel, said.

Further west, hundreds of demonstrators vandalised buildings in Tikapur, defying an indefinite curfew imposed on Monday after protesters attacked police with spears, axes and knives. 
“Small clashes have occurred today with a few groups defying the curfew,” said Dhan Bahadur Kathayat, deputy superintendent of Tikapur police.
“They torched a couple of houses, but our teams have put out the fires,” Kathayat said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala to express the concern that political and social instability would seriously compound the tragedy caused by the earthquake that devastated Nepal earlier this year. Modi appealed to the government, all political parties and the people of Nepal to eschew violence and maintain social harmony, the Indian Embassy said.
The United Nations also urged political leaders and protesters to sit together to find a peaceful solution before violence spirals out of control.

Police said they were taken by surprise by the scale of the violence on Monday, when demonstrators turned on security forces, killing seven and prompting the government to send troops to the area.
The 18-month-old son of paramilitary officer Netra Bahadur Saud was also killed when protesters opened fire at his home in Tikapur, but police said there were no casualties among the demonstrators.
“My son was playing in front of me, all of a sudden I heard bullet fire,” Saud said.
“Within seconds my son fell to the ground with head injuries... I rushed him to hospital but he was already dead.
“The shooters targeted me... my son was innocent. Why was he killed?” he said.
Anger has been building for weeks in parts of Nepal after lawmakers struck a breakthrough deal on a new constitution, spurred by April’s devastating earthquake.
The constitution was meant to cement peace after a 10-year insurgency led by former Maoist rebels and draw a line under centuries of inequality.
Work on the new constitution began in 2008, two years after the end of the insurgency that left an estimated 16,000 people dead and brought down the 240-year-old Hindu monarchy.
But plans laid out in the draft charter to divide the country into seven provinces have sparked fury among historically marginalised communities, who say the new borders will limit their political representation.
The latest clashes broke out when activists from the Tharu ethnic minority held a protest to demand their own separate province bordering India.
The Tharus have struggled to overcome decades spent as bonded slaves to high-caste landowners.

Puspa Raj KC, spokesman for the Armed Police Force, said the demonstrators outnumbered security personnel and encircled senior officers as the protest turned violent.
“During this time, it was difficult for the commanders to communicate properly with the force and no decision was made to use firearms,” he said.
By the time police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, more than 40 officers had sustained injuries according to KC, who said there were no casualties among the demonstrators.
“Security forces failed to assess the threat... no one expected an attack using such a huge number of home-made weapons,” he said.
Police have shot dead three people protesting in other parts of the country against the terms of the constitution in separate incidents over the course of the month.
As top leaders held talks with Tharu lawmakers in the capital, hundreds of troops and police patrolled the streets of Tikapur.
The violence came a day after Nepalese lawmakers presented a revised draft of the new constitution in parliament despite opposition from some parties.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
 
 


Protester shot dead and homes torched as Nepal reels from unrest

Relatives of a police officer killed in a clash with protesters on Monday mourn over the coffins in Kailali district, Nepal. Photo: Xinhua

The dead body of a senior police officer is taken away from Kailali district to the capital Kathmandu. Photo: Xinhua 

Nepalese police officers, who were injured in a deadly clash with protesters, receive treatment at Tikapur Hospital in Kailali District. Photo: AFP

A building burns after it was set alight by protesters in the Nepalese district of Kailali, some 420km west of the capital Kathmandu. Photo: AFP

Eight police officers killed in Nepal as protests over constitution turn violent

Nepalese police detain a protester during a general strike demanding autonomous regions based on ethnicity to be drafted into the new constitution. Photo: Reuters

Nepalese police stand guard during a general strike called by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities in Kathmandu. Photo: EPA

Activists chant slogans during a general strike called in protest against the draft constitution. Photo: EPA

Nepal grinds to a halt amid general strike protesting draft constitution dividing country into provinces

The general strike was organised by a 30-party alliance led by a hardline faction of former Maoist rebels. Photo: Reuters

Nepal to be split into eight federal provinces in deal ending years of stalemate over new constitution

Constitution assembly members of an opposition party were furious after the political parties failed to meet a deadline in January. Photo: Reuters 

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala will resign after the new constitution comes into effect in July. Photo: AP

Politicians scuffle over constitution as Nepal plunges into turmoil 

Nepalese opposition lawmakers, surrounded by parliament security officials, prevent a vote on disputed issues in the constitution. Photo: AFP

Nepalese police officers with a sniffer dog walk outside the parliament building in Kathmandu on Thursday night. Photo: AFP

Campaigners demonstrate as they demand Nepal's political leaders keep their promise to promulgate the constitution by a January 22 deadline. Photo: AFP

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India and the UN appeal for calm, a day after eight deaths, including an 18-month-old boy


Protester shot dead and homes torched as Nepal reels from unrest

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}India and the UN appeal for calm, a day after eight deaths, including an 18-month-old boy

India and the UN appeal for calm, a day after eight deaths, including an 18-month-old boy