During the Gen-z protest in Itahari, Sunsari, on 8 September against corruption, mismanagement, and the government’s decision to shut down social media, two people were killed when police opened fire. Superintendent of Police (SP) Suman Kumar Timalsina of the Sunsari District Police Office confirmed to INSEC’s Sunsari representative that, in addition to the two deaths, 10 others were injured in the police shooting.
Eyewitnesses reported that two people were killed when police opened fire during the protest in front of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City. SP Timalsina stated that two people injured in the police shooting were taken to BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan, Ghopa, for treatment, but doctors declared them dead. The police have kept the details of the deceased confidential. Four injured in the clash with police in Itahari are undergoing treatment at Birat Teaching Hospital. According to police, five officers were also injured, four from the Armed Police Force and one from the Itahari Municipal Police. Following the deaths of two protesters from police gunfire, the Sunsari District Administration Office imposed an indefinite curfew in Itahari starting from 3:30 p.m. on 8 September.
Sunsari’s Chief District Officer, Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, stated that the curfew order was issued in accordance with Section 6(a) of the Local Administration Act, 1971.
In Itahari, the curfew order has been enforced in the following areas: from the Nepal Army barracks in the north to Paruhang Chowk; from Milan Chowk in the east to Jut Vikas; from the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority office, Transport Management Office, Sathi Petrol Pump, and Pushpalal Chowk through the Bus Park area in the south; and from Kalanki Mode in the west to Janata Basti. No assemblies, rallies, gatherings, meetings, demonstrations, or encirclements of any kind will be allowed in the areas where the curfew has been imposed. Similarly, the District Administration Office, Jhapa, has issued a curfew order from 8:30 PM on 8 September until 5:00 AM on 9 September.
The curfew order, issued by Chief District Officer Gokul Kumar Adhikari, will remain in effect within Birtamod Municipality. Furthermore, the curfew extends up to the entrance turning point of Birtamod Bus Park in the east, Ramchowk in the west, Mahananda Chowk in the north, and Sainik Mode in the south.