Kanchanpur, Aug 25: Thousands have hit the street in Nepal to mark their angst against the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl in the country's western remote town on Bhimdatta Nagar, located in Kanchanpur district.

A student-activist, who was part of the agitation in Bhimdatta Nagar last night, was killed in police firing, reports confirmed on Saturday. The deceased has been identified as 17-year-old Sani Khuna.

Following the death of the protester in police firing, the government has imposed curfew in Kanchanpur district, with military units deployed to keep law and order under control.

In capital Kathmandu, however, protests continued today with nearly 1,500 people participating in a sit-in agitation against the government.

The protests flared up earlier in the week, after the police charged a 41-year-old man, identified as Dilip Singh Bista, for the brutal rape-murder crime. The agitators claim that Bista, who has severe learning disabilities, is being made a "scapegoat" to shield the "actual culprit", who has connections within the government.

Prime Minister KP Oli has appealed the nation to maintain calm, assuring that his government would not spare anyone involved in the heinous crime. His predecessors, Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Sher Bahadur Deuba, have condemned the shooting incident, asking the government to exercise maximum restraint.

"I am saddened by the death of a child in police firing in Kanchanpur. My prayers are with the family of the deceased child and I demand Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to immediately investigate the issue," Deuba said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 25, 2018 04:33 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).