KATHMANDU, Jan 26 - The district administration offices in eastern Terai districts issued fresh curfew orders in Janakpur, Lahan, Birgunj, Biratnagar and Rautahat on Friday in a bid to prevent any further untoward incidents amidst increasing unrest across the region due to the ongoing Madhesi People's Rights Forum's (MPRF) agitation.

Rautahat's Gaur remained tense today with the district administration issuing a curfew order effective from 2 pm to 4 pm today.

Forum cadres today vandalized the District Court, Maoist office, Madheshi Mukti Morcha office, UML General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal's Gaur home, and BP Koirala's statue in Gaur.

Although the Forum has said that it wasn't responsible for despoiling the Congress Leader's statue, an emergency meeting of the Nepali Congress is currently underway regarding the incident.

Protestors today shut down gaur bazaar in addition to locking out over half a dozen government offices including those of Irrigation, the DAO, District Development Office, Agriculture, Post office and the Elections office sources said.

The forum members also vandalized the Maoist office and beat up the Maoist cadres therein. 

The District Administration Office (DAO), Dhanusha today imposed another 10-hour curfew in Janakpur effective from 7 in the morning till 5 in the evening.

At least two dozen demonstrators were injured, four seriously, when riot police opened fire as protesters and policemen faced off during a MPRF demonstration in Janakpur yesterday.

According to sources, protestors took to the streets at Bidari Chowk, Ramananda Chowk, Machha bazaar in Janakpur in defiance of the curfew order since early this morning.

Police opened blank fire to contain the violent demonstration, sources said.

Meanwhile, DAO (Siraha) today relaxed the clampdown, bringing down the curfew hours to only 6 today, effective from 11am to 5pm.

Yesterday, Lahan saw the DAO clamp an 11-hour curfew order in the southeastern town which is the epicenter of the recent flurry of Terai unrest.

According to Siraha DAO Shashi Shekhar Shrestha, the curfew orders would be gradually relaxed in the coming days.

Although the tension in Lahan appears to have gone down a notch, with virtually all transport and ships, normal life, however, remains crippled there, sources said.

Likewise, DAO (Morang) today also clamped curfew in Biratnagar from 8 am to 6 pm stating that the area was becoming "riot-prone".

Due to the curfew, an eight party goodwill rally slated for today has been called off.

Earlier today, police fired several rounds of tear gas shells to contain the situation at Biratnagar's Sarojia and Keshariya roads where protestors had gathered in defiance of the curfew orders.

Likewise, DAO (Parsa) today issued a 10-hour curfew orders in Birgunj from 9 am to 9 pm.

The activists had also vandalized several hotels, shops, government offices and public houses from Ghantaghar to Revenue Office in the town.

Similarly, Mahottari district too remained paralysed today, thanks to the MPRF protest.

Mahottari’s Jaleshwore bazaar remained shut today and the vehicular movement in the entire district has been brought to a complete standstill.

Earlier today, protestors burnt a tire atop of king Mahendra's statue in Jaleshwor bazaar.

Likewise, a goodwill rally organised by the eight parties in Sarlahi was postponed at the last moment. 

According to CPN-UML leader Tribhuwan Ansari, the rally had been postponed because of the surge of "unfamiliar faces" in Malangwa that sparked fears of outside infiltrations.

Likewise, Kalaiya in Bara has also been severely affected by the ongoing indefinite strike.

JTMM urges MPRF to sit for talks

Meanwhile, the Jwala Singh faction of the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM) -- a CPN-Maoist offshoot -- today urged the agitating forum to accept the government's call for talks immediately.

Stating that the normal life in the Terai region has been severly crippled by the ongoing protests and strikes, Ranvir Singh, the central member of Jwala Singh group, who is also the in-charge of the JTMM's eastern military command, requested the forum to sit for talks.

Singh further said that continued protests will only enable the regressive forces to "come clean" and that the Madhesh Aandolan, which was at its height, could only be institutionalised through talks.

According to sources, Singh added that the JTMM had deployed its cadres so as to assist the remonstrations of the Forum.

Stating that the JTMM is always ready to support the Madhesh Andolan, Singh also disclosed that armed cadres of his party had also been deployed in the protest.