KATHMANDU: Janamat Party Chair Dr. CK Raut has appealed to the Nepal Army to exercise maximum restraint, warning that any use of lethal force against civilians amid the ongoing communal tensions could have catastrophic consequences for the country.

In a statement posted on social media, Raut said he was “stunned” to see soldiers positioned with firearms at close range facing civilians, questioning whether all other crowd-control measures, including tear gas and non-lethal security mechanisms, had already been exhausted.

“This is not a picture of bravery or a solution,” he wrote. “It is a glimpse of a country approaching the final stage of failure.”

Raut cautioned that if a small number of individuals in the crowd acted violently, security personnel might resort to opening fire, potentially resulting in heavy casualties.

“If Nepal’s own army were to kill 100 people in a single day during a religious conflict, what would happen afterward? Who would control the situation? Would the Nepal Army survive? Would Nepal survive? We must think seriously about this,” he said.

He also questioned the tactical decision to deploy armed soldiers in close confrontation with civilians, arguing that such an approach neither enhances the army’s credibility nor contributes to resolving the crisis.

“This is not a film set,” Raut wrote. “Placing the army face-to-face with its own people at such close range only risks undermining public trust. If this continues, it will not only weaken the Nepal Army but could also threaten the country’s very existence.”

Concluding his message, Raut urged the security forces to carefully consider the consequences of their actions and prioritize restraint in handling the sensitive situation.