Army Spokesperson Brigadier General Tara Bahadur Karki confirmed that the troops deployed at riot-hit areas of Tikapur have returned to their base at Dhangadhi-based brigade.The move comes amid the District Administration Office's assessment that the situation in Kailali district has returned to normalcy following the August 24 carnage that claimed lives of eight police personnel and a two-year-old boy.
"The soldiers deployed at riot-hit zones have been called back to their barracks upon the written request from the District Administration Office, Kailali," the newly-appointed Army spokesperson told Republica.
In the wake of the Kailali incident, the government had decided to deploy the NA in the district as an "aid to civil authority." The NA had also made its presence felt in the riot-hit areas of Dhanusha, Mahottari and Parsa districts.
As per the Local Administration Act, 2028, the army can be deployed to maintain peace, security, social harmony and national integrity. The Nepal Army had also made it clear that its soldiers will return to their barracks after their task was complete.
Disgruntled parties in the Tarai region have been maintaining that withdrawal of army from the riot-hit areas would be the prerequisite to begin formal talks with them.
Officials at the Minister of Home Affairs had earlier said that the army will be pulled back from the districts but had maintained that NA personnel will remain in such a way that they can reach any place within 30 minutes as and when required.
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