On 6 March, three unarmed men were shot dead by Nepali police at a Samyukta Loktantrik Madhesi Morcha (SLMM) demonstration in Janakpur, Saptari province.
The Nepali peace process may be sliding back towards large-scale unrest as a Maoist-led government fails to make good on its promises of constitutional reform to address the grievances of the Madhesi people of the low-lying Terai region.
On 19 March, the SLMM coalition of Madhesh-based parties escalated their protests by padlocking all municipal and village council offices in Saptari district.
The SLMM are demanding constitutional amendments giving them equality with other ethnic minorities in Nepal, before local elections take place on 14 May.
Topics: Nepal