Four people were killed and 31 others injured when a powerful bomb exploded near a group of demonstrators at Ramananda chowk in Janakpur Monday (April 30).

The bomb fitted on a motorcycle went off at around 10:30 a.m. when Mithila State Struggle Committee (MSSC) was organizing a sit-in program demanding an autonomous Mithila state in federal Nepal.

Ranju Jha, a 32-year-old theatre artist affiliated with Mithila Natyakala Parishad, a cultural wing of the MSSC, and Bimal Sharan, 42, of Janakpur, died instantly in the blast. Suresh Upadhyay, 45, and Jhagar Das, both from Janakpur died while undergoing treatment at Janakpur Zonal Hospital.

The incident happened on the third day of protests by the MSSC which was organizing a three-hour sit-in program by preventing vehicles from passing through Ramananda Chowk. Two people riding a motorcycle reached there at around 10:20 a.m. and reportedly parked the motorcycle near a crowd of demonstrators. Within a couple of minutes after they moved to a road-side shop and the bomb exploded.

Of the 31 injured, 14 people who sustained seriously injuries were airlifted to Kathmandu by two helicopters of Nepal Army (NA) and Yeti Airlines. They are now being treated at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH).

Source: Republica