Police in Nepal clash with Madhesi protesters, one killed

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Police fired at ethnic Madhesi protesters who tried to storm a police station in southern Nepal on Sunday, killing one, officials said, as violent protests against the new constitution entered a fourth month. More than 40 people have been killed in clashes with police since Nepal adopted its first post-monarchy constitution in September, hoping the document would usher in peace and stability after years of conflict. The Madhesi protesters do not want the southern plain region, Nepal's bread basket and business hub, to be split into more than two federal provinces, saying they will be dominated by other ethnic groups. A group of protesters hurling stones and petrol bombs attacked the police post at Gaur, 72 km (45 miles) southeast of Kathmandu, forcing the sentry to open fire in "self defence," police official Rajendra Pokharel said. "One person was killed. More than a dozen police were injured," he said. Some ethnic Madhesi people have been on strike since September in the country's southern plains and blockaded key border crossings with India, saying the first republican constitution failed to address their concerns. (Reporting by Gopal Sharma; Editing by Malini Menon and Raissa Kasolowsky)