Delayed response, absent leadership: How Sunsari’s violence spread unchecked

The violence, which began after a dispute between two groups in Dewanganj Rural Municipality of Sunsari, has spread to parts of Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha and Parsa, prompting curfews, fresh protests and heightened security deployment.

The government's delayed response—political and administrative—to communal violence in Dewanganj of Sunsari district has come under mounting criticism from security experts, rights advocates, opposition leaders and lawmakers. They say crucial opportunities to contain the crisis were missed, allowing tensions to spread to several districts and leaving three people dead in police firing.