Assessing that the situation has become relatively ‘calm and peaceful’ in different riot-hit areas in the Tarai districts, the government has decided to withdraw the Nepal Army (NA) from those areas till Sunday. In the wake of the Kailali incident that killed eight policemen, the government had decided to deploy the Nepal Army to help strengthen the arm of the civil authority. The Nepal Army had made its presence felt in the riot-hit areas of Kailali, Dhanusha, Mahottari and Parsa districts. Home Secretary Surya Prasad Silwal said, “Security situation has been relatively calm in the recent days and the civil authority was enough to handle the current situation.” NA personnel will remain in such a way that they can reach any place within 30 minutes as and when required, said the home secretary. Following the assessment of the local security, the government decided to pull back the Nepal Army, confirmed officials at the Home Ministry. After a section of political parties and few activists tried to brush aside the need for deploying NA personnel in different riot-hit areas, the Nepal Army had clarified that the deployment was only an aid to the civil authority. The NA had said that the army leaving barracks during difficult circumstances should not be viewed as deployment but as an “aid to civil authority.” As per the Local Administration Act, 2028, the army can be deployed to maintain peace, security, social harmony and national integrity. The Nepal Army has also made it clear that its soldiers will return to their barracks after their task was complete. “If situation demands, we are ready to be deployed under the Local Administration Act,” a highly placed NA official said. The UCPN (Maoist), Madhes-based parties, and Tharu groups, among others, had been expressing serious dissatisfaction over the deployment of the Nepal Army in riot-hit zones. Army’s removal from the riot-hit areas was a major condition of the protesting parties to sit for talks.