KATHMANDU: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) lawmaker Khushbu Oli has said the violent clashes in Sunsari’s Dewanganj and Harinagar, which left a civilian dead after police opened fire, have raised serious questions about Nepal’s internal security system.

In a statement posted on Facebook on Monday, Oli said the incident serves as a stark warning about whether the country’s security agencies are capable of identifying and managing local tensions before they escalate into major crises.

“The fact that a local dispute escalated within a matter of hours to the point where police opened fire, a civilian lost his life, and an indefinite curfew had to be imposed in five areas cannot be regarded as a normal incident,” she wrote. “It is a serious warning sign for our internal security apparatus.”

Oli said the foundation of national security lies not only in border protection but also in ensuring citizens’ day-to-day safety, maintaining social harmony, strengthening community trust, and effectively managing conflicts before they spiral out of control.

She warned that even a minor lapse in security preparedness or response could transform localized tensions into broader communal or political conflict, urging authorities to treat the Sunsari incident as a wake-up call to strengthen preventive security measures and conflict management mechanisms.