Protesters on Wednesday took to the street at Birendranagar Bazaar in Surkhet district, defying curfew orders.

The local administration had enforced the curfew at Birendranagar Bazaar from 11am until 6pm. Despite the prohibition, protesters descended to the street from early morning to protest the six-state federal setup. They burned tyres at various places demanding that the Mid-Western Region should not be divided in the name of federalism.  Protesters also clashed with security personnel in which two persons died and several others suffered injuries.

Meanwhile, the political parties in the district have taken the initiative of making the protest more organised, peaceful and effective.

Issuing a joint press statement on Wednesday, nine political parties, including Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist), urged the protesters to exercise restraint and protest peacefully.