KATHMANDU: Tensions across Nepal’s Madhes region have eased following a series of government interventions, although security officials warn that the underlying risks remain unresolved.

Police Headquarters had decided to deploy four Additional Inspectors General (AIGs) and two Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs) to the field as violence spread across several districts. However, only one AIG travelled to Madhes, while others coordinated operations from headquarters as the situation gradually stabilized.

The government’s response combined security measures with political dialogue. Home Minister Sudhan Gurung visited hospitals, met the families of those killed in Sunsari and Siraha, and signed separate seven-point agreements promising compensation, impartial investigations, employment support for victims’ families and the process to declare the deceased as martyrs.

The Cabinet has since endorsed relief, compensation and medical assistance for those affected, while separate investigation committees have been formed to probe the incidents.

The easing of tensions also followed Prime Minister Balen Shah’s address to the nation and consultations with Madhes-based political parties and religious leaders.

Curfews and prohibitory orders imposed in Sunsari, Morang, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha and Parsa have now been lifted, and additional security personnel are gradually returning to their regular assignments.

Despite the return of calm, security analysts caution that without addressing the underlying communal and political grievances, similar unrest could recur in the future.