After the August 24 Kailali carnage that saw eight deaths and the continuing protests that have only intensified, people from the Tharu communities in Dang are worried about social harmony. Tharus have shared that they don't want to detach themselves from the hill people and that they want to maintain longstanding cordial relationship between people of both communities. On Monday, Tharus from various villages of Dang organized a goodwill demonstration to convey messages on 'maintaining social harmony.' The participants chanted various social-harmony slogans in major areas of Ghorahi and urged people to maintain communal harmony. Shanta Chaudhari, one of the rally participants, said, "Rather than issuing provocative remarks, we must all unite together to restore peace," she said adding that such rallies are also being organized in Jhapa, Sunsari, Biratnagar and Chitwan districts. She claimed that people in Dang and elsewhere are worried that incidences like the Kailali carnage would disturb existing social and communal harmony. "This is not just the issue of Dang, people in other parts of country presently fear loss of existing social and communal harmony," Shanta said. "There is a dire need to voice for restoring and maintaining communal and social harmony in all parts of the nation." Baharu Tharu, another participant in the rally, expressed worries on the probability of conflict between the Tharus community members and the hill people community. "People from all caste, religion, ethnicity and region should live in harmony. We have helped each other in hard times and must continue doing so in future also," he said. "As social beings it's not possible to live in society without helping each other." Jagat Ram Chaudhary, while stating that ongoing protests could disturb cordial relationship with the Hill people, urged the protestors to call off the ongoing protests. "I wish the day never comes when we have to fight for being Pahadi and Tharu," he said adding that the political parties should negotiate demands of the protestors at the earliest. Participants in the rally slammed the violence seen in recent protests and opined that the violent way of demanding rights is against the democratic practice. "Tharus can't cut people with weapons and set them on fire," said another participant of the rally, Jib Ram Chaudhari adding, "We are being insulted in the name of protests. We want to live in peace not in turmoil." The rally was organized by Democratic Tharu Association, an organization sharing affinity with the CPN-UML. UML leader Shankar Pokharel had addressed the assembly organized after the rally. for-social-harmony.