According to eyewitness and local journalist Chandan Yadav, Dilip Sah, 35, of Rajbiraj Municipality-1 received a bullet in the head. Yadav, along with other local journalists, rushed the injured Sah to the private clinic of Dr Ashokanand Mishra immediately after he was shot during demonstrations at district headquarters Rajbiraj.
Sah's condition was critical, according to Dr Mishra. He breathed his last on the way to Dharan for treatment.
Along with Sah, two others including a five-year-old girl were also injured in the incident.
Security personnel clashed with irate local demonstrators as the latter continued to stage demonstrations in defiance of a curfew and prohibitory order at different locations including the district headquarters, Bhardaha, Rupani and Baramajhiya, following Saturday night's incident.
Earlier on Saturday night, two persons were killed in police firing after local demonstrators tried to obstruct the East-West Highway at Rupani and Bhardaha. Birendra Ram of Dadha VDC died in Bhardaha and Nageshwar Yadav of Chhapaki VDC in Rupani along the East-West Highway.
Protestors torch police outposts, vehicle
Irate local demonstrators came onto the streets to protest against the local administration in Rajbiraj on Sunday. They set ablaze two police outposts and a vehicle (Na 1 Jha 1316) belonging to Saptari District Police Office (DPO) in Rajbiraj.
After protestors torched the DPO vehicle parked near Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital, they fled. Soon after the incident, a team of security personnel led by DSP Narayan Prasad Chimariya beat up the doctors and other hospital staff and used abusive language, informed eyewitness Jogendra Bhagat, who is also president of Nepal Red Coss Society, Saptari.
Police use abusive words
To disperse the thousands of local demonstrators gathered at district headquarters, police fired rubber bullets and some 100 teargas shells.
As per the eyewitness, police used terms such as 'Bihari' and 'Modi's children'.
Shambhunand Chaudhary, rights activist and president of NGO Federation Saptari, said that the government needs to be serious about communal behavior by police.
"It is unfortunate for the agitating Madhesi community to feel humiliated by verbal abuse from the government's security agency," Chaudhary said.
However, police refuted the locals' allegations. According to them, they had entered the clinic and Red Cross blood bank in search of those involved in torching the vehicle.
According to United Democratic Madhesi Front leaders, 11 persons in Bhardaha and five in Rupani were seriously injured. Five of them are said to be in critical condition.
Meanwhile, a meeting of the District Security Committee held on Sunday issued a curfew and prohibitory order in Rajbiraj and the East-West Highway section at Rupani and Bhardaha for an indefinite period.
Issuing a press release, Chief District Officer Anil Thakur said that the situation took a nasty turn due to the attack by agitating demonstrators. Police also claimed that the protestors hurled petrol bombs and opened fire at the police in Bhardaha and Rupani.
UDMF claims some bodies missing
Agitating UDMF leaders in the district claimed that the police removed some bodies from Rupani and Bhardaha. Police took away two bodies from Bhardaha, they said. However, such claims are yet to be ascertained by the local administration.
Govt recalls Saptari CDO
Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on Sunday decided to recall Chief District Officer of Saptari Anil Kumar Thakur.
Laxmi Dhakal, spokesperson of MoHA, said that Thakur was recalled from the district after he sought transfer stating that he could not handle the security situation in the district.
However, MoHA sources said that he was recalled for dereliction of duty. He reportedly denied to coordinate with security agencies when they seek instructions from CDO to control protests in the district. The ministry is yet to decide his replacement.
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