4 Killed After Police Fire Rubber Bullets at Protesters in Nepal
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Version 0 of 1. NEW DELHI — Four people, including a 4-year-old boy, were killed in southern Nepal after the police fired rubber bullets into a crowd demonstrating against the country’s proposed new constitution, an official said on Wednesday. The violence occurred Tuesday evening in the district of Rupandehi, about 175 miles west of Kathmandu, the capital. Bishnu Prasad Dhakal, the chief district officer, said more than 1,000 protesters had gathered outside a police station, some of them throwing stones and firebombs. Mr. Dhakal said the police used tear gas and then fired into the air before resorting to rubber bullets. Twenty police officers and five civilians were wounded, he said. It was not immediately clear why rubber bullets, which are known to kill but are traditionally used as a less-lethal alternative, apparently produced such a high death toll. The clash was the latest in weeks of violent protests across Nepal’s southern plains, where members of the Madhesi ethnic group say new provinces established under the proposed new constitution would dilute their political influence. There have also been protests in western Nepal from ethnic Tharus who want their own state. At least 40 people, including 11 police officials, have been killed in violent clashes since Aug. 10, when four major political parties signed an agreement to divide the country into provinces — a major step toward a new constitution but a highly contentious issue in Nepal, which has been centrally governed for centuries. Work on a new constitution has been underway since 2008, but lawmakers accelerated the process after the devastating earthquake that killed thousands of people in April. Lawmakers have been voting on clauses in the draft constitution in Kathmandu this week, and officials have said that the new charter could be enacted by Sunday. |