Overview
- The violence began in Kaptanganj, Sunsari after a dispute over loud music, loudspeakers and religious flags that escalated into mob clashes and arson on Sunday.
- Police opened fire while trying to disperse the crowds, killing at least three people and injuring dozens, with two victims named locally as Om Prakash Mehta and Jay Prakash Mehta.
- Authorities have imposed indefinite curfews and prohibitory orders in multiple areas of Sunsari and have extended restrictions to parts of Madhesh including Dhanusa, Siraha and Parsa.
- Security forces including Nepal Police, the Armed Police Force and the Nepal Army have been deployed, helicopters have been used for aerial monitoring, and the National Security Council convened to review the situation.
- Markets, transport and border corridors such as the East-West Highway and Koshi Barrage have been disrupted, local bodies have declared victims 'martyrs' and offered compensation, and officials point to past warnings about attempts to stoke communal divisions in the plains.