Nepal unrest leaves 3 dead as PM urges calm

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah appealed for calm on Thursday after unrest in the country's south left three people dead and led authorities to impose curfews in Sunsari and neighbouring districts.

Officials said the violence began late Sunday in a village in Sunsari district, on the Indian border, after an argument over loud music and religious flags during a Hindu procession. Local official Poshan Lamichhane said police opened fire to disperse a crowd.

Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle said two men died in the unrest. Authorities are investigating the deaths. A third man was killed Thursday in nearby Siraha district during a demonstration that took place while the curfew was in force.

In a video address, Shah urged citizens, civil society, religious communities, political leaders, parties and media to exercise restraint and maintain peace. He said the investigation would be fair and transparent and that the government was committed to bringing those responsible to justice.

Kafle said police were on alert and trying to protect public property and prevent further clashes with minimal use of force.

Nepal is a secular republic where more than 80 percent of the population is Hindu. Tensions have occasionally flared in the southern plains, where sizeable Hindu and Muslim communities live side by side.