Several towns in Nepal under curfew after sectarian violence

A curfew remains in place in several southeastern Nepalese towns after sectarian violence left at least three people dead and 25 injured in clashes between Hindus and Muslims.

Several towns in ​southeastern Nepal remained under curfew on ​Friday as the region grappled with ‌lingering ​tensions after days of sectarian violence that erupted on Sunday and left at least three people dead, authorities said.

Twenty-five ‌people were injured in a late-night clash on Sunday between Hindus and Muslims in Diwanganj, a town in Nepal's Sunsari district bordering India, with officials saying the violence was ‌triggered by a dispute over loud music and religious flags during a ‌Hindu event. Two men were shot and killed in Sunsari on Sunday and a third death was reported in neighbouring Siraha district on Thursday as sporadic clashes continued in the area. Police spokesperson Abi ⁠Narayan ​Kafle said the ⁠incidents were under investigation.

There was no violence on Friday, police said, but an indefinite curfew was in ⁠place in several towns to prevent any recurrence. Nepal's Gen Z-backed Prime Minister Balendra Shah urged people ​on Thursday for calm and to remove the "cloud of turbulence" from the Himalayan ⁠nation.

"The government will conduct a fair and impartial investigation into the violence and punish those responsible ⁠for the ​trouble in a transparent way," Shah said in a rare, televised address to the nation. The country's Home Minister Sudan Gurung met the families of the ⁠two killed in Sunsari and agreed to provide about $6,660 in relief to each late ⁠on Thursday, ⁠the government said in a statement.

Gurung was also expected to go to Siraha on Friday and meet the family of the ‌third person ‌who was killed.