Modi asks Koirala to reach out to protesters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has advised his Nepal counterpart Sushil Koirala to reach out to violent protesters and resolve the issue of demarcation of provinces through “widest possible consultations”.

Modi on Tuesday called up Koirala and told him that India, as a neighbour, would do all it could “for security in Nepal”.

The prime minister called up his Nepalese counterpart just a day after protests against demarcation of provinces turned violent at Tikapur in Kailali district in western Nepal. At least six cops and three civilians were killed as protesters fought pitched battles with policemen. Some reports pegged the death toll at 20, including 17 policemen.

Modi conveyed “sorrow at the loss of lives in the violence in Nepal”, the Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press-release issued in New Delhi.