Police bullets killed three people in Kaptanganj clash, government probe finds

Sunsari, August 19, 2026 — A government investigation has concluded that bullets fired by security personnel killed three people during a violent clash in Kaptanganj of Sunsari, ruling out the possibility that the victims were shot by an outside group or infiltrators.

A probe committee led by Bhupendra Thapa, joint secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, submitted its report to the ministry on Tuesday after investigating the incident and interviewing people involved.

According to a member of the committee, the investigation found no evidence of an outside group or infiltrators being involved in the shootings.

The committee concluded that police were compelled to open fire after a clash between two groups in Kaptanganj of Dewanganj Rural Municipality-3 escalated to a situation in which security personnel and members of another minority community faced a threat to their lives.

The committee found that Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force fired a total of 20 rounds during the incident. Three locals—Om Prakash Mehta, Jay Prakash Mehta and Rabindra Mehta—were killed by bullets fired by security personnel.

Om Prakash died on the night of the incident. Jay Prakash died while receiving treatment on July 30, while Rabindra died during treatment in Kathmandu on August 4.

Three other people injured in the clash are still undergoing treatment, while three others have already been discharged from hospitals.

Inspector Rakesh Rai of the Area Police Office, Dewanganj, and Assistant Sub-Inspector Prakash Kumar Shrestha of the Kaptanganj Police Post were among the personnel deployed to control the situation.

The committee said the police firing was carried out in self-defence and to prevent further loss of life after the confrontation became increasingly dangerous.

The probe has also recommended measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. According to committee coordinator Thapa, the report contains 25 recommendations covering the causes of the incident, preventive measures and possible action against those found responsible.