Kathmandu, Dec. 15: Hundreds of people took to the streets in noisy protests today after a Nepali soldier killed 11 and wounded 19 following an argument, the army and witnesses said.

According to the army, the soldier also died in the incident which took place yesterday near the resort town of Nagarkot, 30 km from Kathmandu. Some news reports suggested that he may have committed suicide.

The killing sent shock waves through the ranks of the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) and the pro-monarchy government.

The seven-party political alliance announced a Kathmandu bandh tomorrow in protest against the killings at a massive meeting here this afternoon. The strike call came as thousands of people marched through the streets of Kathmandu in a protest against the king which turned into a show of solidarity for the relatives of those killed.

According to witnesses, the massacre followed a scuffle between the RNA soldier, Basudev Thapa, and villagers, mostly tribals belonging to the Tamang community, who had gathered to mark the full moon last night at the Kalika Devi temple in Nagarkot.

The altercation was sparked after the alleged harassment of young women at the temple by RNA soldiers. An eyewitness said Thapa first used a knife against the villagers.

However, realising that he was outnumbered, Thapa fired at them with his service rifle, killing 12.

“I heard the sound of bullets as I was preparing to sleep. I was terribly scared,” Sohan Shrestha, who had come to collect the body of his son, said at the hospital, tears rolling down his cheeks.

“The army has taken the incident very seriously and an investigation has been ordered,” the army said in a statement.

State television said the government would pay for hospital treatment and pay $2,000 in compensation for each of the dead.