Two Indian-origin Madhesis were shot and killed by the Nepal police on Sunday during violent clashes. The Madhesis were blocking Nepal’s main highway in the Satpari district in protest against the country’s new Constitution.

The police said it resorted to firing after nearly 2,500 protesters attacked them with petrol bombs and bricks when its officers tried to forcibly move members of the United Democratic Madhesi Front from blocking the highway. The fresh clashes injured as many as 17 protesters and 25 police officers, out of which five protesters and two policemen are said to be in a serious condition, said the report.

An indefinite curfew was imposed in the district, as the country continues to reel under acute shortage of essential goods for over two months, reported PTI. The Himalayan nation is heavily dependent on India for supplies of essential goods.

The story so far:

  • The Madhesis are protesting against the division of their ancestral homeland into seven provinces under the country’s new Constitution.
  • Over 40 people have been killed in the two-month-long agitation, which has also impacted Indo-Nepal ties as the transit of goods and fuel to the Himalayan nation has been badly affected.
  • Nepal has since turned towards China for fuel, ending India's monopoly over the supply. 
  • Nepal has also accused India of siding with the protesters, a claim which was denied by New Delhi.