Police on Wednesday fired warning shots and teargas shells after locals clashed over cremating a dead body at Shreepur village of Garuda Municipality-9 in Rautahat district.

Police fired 32 rounds of bullets into the air and lobbed 29 rounds of teargas canisters to contain the situation after the agitating locals turned violent.

The Rautahat District Police Office said that Assistant Sub-Inspector Bishanath Yadav was injured while trying to disperse the mob. Some villagers were also injured in the incident.

A large number of Nepal Police and Armed Police Force (APF) personnel were deployed to contain the situation.

Locals used to cremate the body on the bank of a river near the village. This is not the first incident that the locals had friction over cremating a dead body. Earlier also, police had to fire five rounds of teargas shells when the clash broke out between the locals.

When the debate between the locals escalated, a group of locals including ward chairman Rajesh Sahani on September 19 had reached an understanding with the local administration that the body would not be cremated on the river bank in the coming days.

A group of villagers has been expressing dissatisfaction over cremating body in the river citing it would affect the environment. There is a Muslim community in the village too.

Police said that the situation has come to normalcy now.