NEW DELHI: After deadly protests over statehood in a Nepali town near the Indian border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up his Nepali counterpart Sushil Koirala, where he spoke about the need to exercise restraint and batted for widest possible consultation to find a solution to the current imbroglio over Nepal’s Constitution.
Eight persons, including a senior police officer, were killed when protests turned violent in Kailali district on Monday. The ethnic Tharu community were up in arms against the inclusion of some districts in a new province, which would be dominated by hill people. The drafting of the provinces for the new Constitution has led to agitations by various competing interests.
According to the MEA, Modi extended condolences over the loss of lives and expressed concern that “political and social instability will seriously compound the tragedy caused by the recent quake in Nepal”.