ITAHARI: At around 11 pm on March 28, 2022, a Sutli bomb – a powerful firecracker – exploded at Navajagriti settlement in Itahari. Robin Thapa (22) and Sher Jung Gurung (23) were injured in the incident.
Initial investigations showed it was a Sutli bomb, a type of powerful firecracker. Police recovered flyers from the incident site belonging to an organization called the Himal Surakshya Parishad, Nepal. The flyers demanded the annulment of federalism, reinstatement of Nepal as a Hindu nation, citizenship screening, resolution of the Nepal-India border dispute, and termination of MCC agreements, among others.
Police arrested five individuals—Khagendra Kharel, Uttam Rijal, Laxmi Devi Thakuri, and the injured Thapa and Gurung—for investigation.
In another incident, Dipsan Sanwa (11) and his sister Princy Sanwa (3) died when a homemade grenade exploded in Dandagau of Falelung Rural Municipality, Taplejung, on September 9, 2023. Dipson, who was injured while playing with the bomb at the house of Maoist Center cadre Aitaraj, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at B&C Hospital in Birtamod. Princy also died while receiving treatment in Ilam.
Aitaraj had moved to Phidim in 2011, and the house had been occupied by the family of Gyan Bahadur Rai. Following investigations, police concluded that explosives had been hidden in the house during the Maoist insurgency. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak confirmed that the bomb dated back to the insurgency period.
On December 31, 2024, the Area Police Office in Pakali of Sunsari received information that bombs had been planted at three locations—near the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan Police Office, Budhikhola and the Bhotepul area of Dharan. The police promptly notified the Nepal Army. Bomb disposal squads of the army found a pressure cooker bomb near the sub-metropolitan police office. Police believe the other locations were mentioned to spread terror.
Flyers from an organization named Rastriya Suraksha Dal were also found. The flyers called for demands such as reinstating Nepal as a Hindu state, annulling federalism, strengthening local bodies, and introducing a directly elected prime minister system.
In yet another incident, a cylinder bomb exploded near Malati Pool in Sundar Haraicha Municipality-7, Morang, on January 9, 2025. Local Maoist Center cadres had informed the local administration about the risk of an explosion in the area where the Asian Highway construction was underway. Bomb disposal squads of the Nepal Army searched along a two-kilometer section of the road from Gathgaon to Belghachi. The squads discovered four cylinders and safely disposed of two containing bombs.
These incidents are just representative of cases. Various groups continue to plant bombs and carry out extortion drives to terrorize people. Police have launched investigations to apprehend those involved in such activities in Itahari.
DSP Laxmi Bhandari of the Itahari Sub-Metropolitan Police Office stated that investigations into these cases are ongoing. “We are closely monitoring the suspects,” she said.
The Koshi Province Police Office, Biratnagar, has confirmed that efforts to intimidate the public by placing suspicious objects resembling bombs and demanding donations are still ongoing. Police have increased surveillance to prevent such activities.
SSP Bhim Bahadur Dahal, the spokesperson for the Koshi Province Police Office, said a detailed investigation into the Itahari incident is underway. He also confirmed that the gas cylinders discovered in Sundarharaicha, Morang, dated back to the insurgency period. “We disposed of them with the army’s help after confirming that belonged to the conflict period,” Dahal told Himal Press. “This incident demonstrates that remnants from the insurgency era still exist as evidenced by the tragic Panchthar incident.”
Although there were no casualties in Sundarharaicha, the bomb found in Panchthar claimed the lives of two children.
When asked if these incidents confirm the existence of conflict-era remnants, SSP Dahal said explosives from the conflict period may still exist in some locations. “Bombs planted during that time, which never detonated, remain intact. If we receive any information, we will dispose of them with the army’s assistance,” he added. “We are carefully investigating who is planting these objects and for what purpose.”
