Despite the government reaching a formal agreement on Thursday night, the families of two youths killed in the firing incident at Kaptanganj of Dewanganj Rural Municipality-3 in Sunsari have not yet accepted their bodies.

Relatives who had travelled to Biratnagar to receive the bodies returned home after opposition from residents and family members. As a result, the funerals scheduled for Friday have been delayed.

Ishwari Aryal, Chief District Officer of Sunsari, said the administration and police were continuing efforts to implement the agreement and facilitate the handover of the bodies.

Dilip Mehta, a member of the victims’ family, said they were coordinating with the families of people killed in other districts and planned to receive all the bodies together and hold a joint funeral once the government reached agreements with the respective families.

“People have died in other districts as well. We plan to collect all the bodies at once and conduct a joint funeral,” he said.

The incident took place on Sunday night when a dispute between two groups in Kaptanganj escalated into a violent clash. The local administration said security personnel opened fire to bring the situation under control.

Om Prakash Mehta, 25, of Dewanganj-4, died at the scene after being hit by gunfire. Jaya Prakash Mehta, 22, of Dewanganj-3, who was critically injured in the incident, died while undergoing treatment at Neuro Hospital in Biratnagar on Thursday afternoon.

The bodies of both victims are currently being kept at the mortuary of Neuro Hospital. Although Home Minister Sudan Gurung and representatives of the victims’ families reached an agreement on Thursday night, the post-mortem process and handover of the bodies have yet to move forward.

The agreement was signed after a discussion held at the Dewanganj Rural Municipality office in the presence of Minister Gurung.

Under the agreement, the government committed to initiating the process of declaring both victims martyrs, providing Rs1 million in relief to each family, taking legal action against those responsible for the incident, providing employment opportunities to one eligible member from each family, implementing the recommendations of an investigation committee and constructing a memorial park in the victims’ names.

The agreement was signed by Krishna Dev Mehta, father of Om Prakash, and Naresh Mehta, representing the family of Jaya Prakash. Minister Gurung signed the document on behalf of the government.

The agreement stated that the funerals would be held at 2pm on Friday. However, the process has not yet begun.

Police said more than 22 people, including security personnel, were injured during the clashes.

Following the incident, cases of arson, vandalism, looting and targeted attacks were reported in several parts of Sunsari on Monday and Tuesday. Although the administration imposed a curfew, protests and violence continued to spread to different areas.