The Parsa district administration lifted the curfew in designated areas of Birgunj at 3:30 pm on Tuesday, allowing daily life in the border city to gradually return to normal after two days of communal tension and movement restrictions.

Bhola Dahal, chief district officer of Parsa, said that the decision to lift the curfew was taken after an all-party and all-stakeholder meeting, along with assessments that the security situation in the district had improved.

The curfew had initially been imposed from 6 pm on Monday after a prohibitory order issued earlier in the day failed to contain demonstrations by rival groups. Restrictions continued in phases—from Monday evening until Tuesday morning, then from 8 am to 1 pm before being finally withdrawn.

The curfew zone had covered a wide perimeter: Bypass Road in the east, Sirsiya Bridge in the west, Powerhouse Chowk in the north and Shankaracharya Gate in the south.

Tensions had escalated after members of the Muslim community staged a protest in Birgunj on Sunday in response to Saturday night’s vandalism at a mosque in Kamala Municipality-6, Dhanusha. Hindu groups then launched counter-protests later on Sunday night and early Monday, leading to fears of further unrest.

With the restrictions removed, Birgunj has started to regain its usual rhythm, with shops reopening, traffic resuming, and residents returning to their routines.