Public movement allowed for few hours amid extended prohibitory orders in violence-hit Nepal

Nepal Army on Thursday extended prohibitory orders in three districts of Kathmandu Valley while allowing public movement during specific windows even as the Himalayan nation gradually returned to normal after violent demonstrations forced Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli to resign.

Even as the troops continued to guard the streets, the situation remained mostly peaceful in the rest of the country except for two deaths and over a dozen injuries in Nepal army gunfire in a thwarted escape from a prison southeast of Kathmandu.

The curfew order imposed in three districts of Kathmandu valley -- Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur – was relieved from 6 am, a notice by Nepal Army said.

After allowing a few hours for movement to the general public to carry out essential works, the restrictive orders will be in place from 10 am till 5 pm, the notice issued by the army.

After a relaxation from 5 pm to 7 pm, night curfew will follow from 7 pm till 6 am on Friday, it added.

People were seen rushing to the markets, shops and groceries to buy essential goods as soon as the curfew was lifted. There were few vehicles on the roads which still bore marks of the violence that had erupted since Sunday and resulted in the resignation of prime minister Oli on Tuesday.

The curfew was imposed by the army since 5 pm on Wednesday to maintain law and order and the Nepalese troops on Wednesday patrolled the streets to restore order and to quell possible violence “under the guise of agitation.” The army, which took control of security from Tuesday night after incidents of arson and vandalism across the country, warned that any form of demonstrations, vandalism, arson, or attacks on individuals and property would be treated as criminal acts and dealt with accordingly.

The Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu resumed services from Wednesday evening, 24 hours after closing its operations due to violent protests.

Meanwhile, two persons died and more than a dozen inmates were injured when army troops opened fire on Thursday morning to stop a mass breakout from Ramechhap District Prison, local media reports said.

As on Wednesday, at least five juvenile inmates died during a clash with security personnel at a jail in western Nepal, while more than 7,000 prisoners escaped from different jails across the country during the violent anti-government protests.

The death toll from the violent protests led by the 'Gen Z' group since Sunday evening had increased to 30, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.

In a statement released on Wednesday evening, the ministry said 1,061 people were injured. It said 719 of the injured have been discharged, while 274 have been admitted to the hospital.

Sources said there has still been no decision taken about who among the former chief justice Sushila Karki, Kathmandu Mayor Balendra Shah and former electricity board CEO Kulman Ghising would be finalised by the protesting Gen Z group to lead an interim government.

However, on Thursday morning, sources said, instead of Ghising, another name, Harka Sampang, mayor of Dharan Municipality, was being considered along with Karki and Shah.