Kathmandu. District Administration Office Mahottari has ordered a curfew at Bardibas. As the protest against the killing of a girl child after rape became riotous and beyond control, the DAO has issued a curfew order, Chief District Officer Krishna Bahadur Katuwal informed.

According to CDO Katuwal, the curfew has been brought to effect from 9 am on Wednesday and will continue till 6 am on Thursday.

Locals have been holding demonstrations against the rape and murder of six-year-old Gulab Shah Khatun of Bardibas-14. They have been demanding rapid police action and severe punishment to the perpetrator.

Earlier on Tuesday, the agitating crowd had lit a house on fire and  tried to burn a police beat. The crowd also blockaded the highway for hours and vandalized vehicles.  The mob damaged two fire trucks that had come to douse the fire set by the demonstrators and wounded 15 security personnel from the Nepal police and the Armed Police Force, including a Deputy Superintendent of the Nepal Police. Additional security forces were deployed to bring the situation under control.

The police had to fire bullets at the agitators on Tuesday as the crowd became aggressive. This had killed one of the protesters and made the situation tenser. Buddhiraj Neupane, also known as Sanjaya, had been wounded on the thigh and had died on Wednesday morning while undergoing treatment at Grande Hospital in Kathmandu. The news of the death of Neupane added fuel to the agitation, leading the DAO to issue curfew order.

Neupane’s family stated that he died at 1 am of excessive bleeding at the hospital. His death has been confirmed by CDO Katuwal. He had been sent to the local Pinnacle Hospital for treatment and later airlifted to Grande Hospital, Kathmandu in a helicopter.

Another bullet-wound victim  Shyam Karki is also  being treated at Kathmandu, whereas, Aftab Alam is having his head injury treated at Bardibas.