Nepal’s border district tense after communal violence

Kathmandu: The local administration in Nepal’s southeastern border district of Rautahat imposed curfew in parts of headquarters Gaur on Saturday amid fears that clashes between two groups could escalate into religious strife.

The District Administration Office (DAO), Rautahat, said in a notice that the curfew order prohibits movement of individuals and all kinds of gatherings, assemblies, processions, and demonstrations in areas stretching from Mudbalwa Gate in the east, Lalbakaiya Dam in the west, Bam Canal in the north, and the Gaur Customs Office in the south of Gaur, effective from 1 pm on Saturday until further notice.

Rautahat, which borders India, is one of Nepal’s most impoverished districts and has a history of political and religious violence.

“The latest clashes erupted on Thursday evening after a wedding procession of a Hindu couple clashed with members of the Muslim community, who were performing religious rituals during the month of Ramadan,” Dinesh Sagar Bhusal, Chief District Officer of Rautahat, told IANS.

“The loud music played by the wedding procession disturbed the Muslim worshippers at a local mosque. When they objected, clashes erupted between the two groups, with both sides pelting stones at each other,” he said.

Bhusal said that despite a peace agreement reached on Friday evening, tensions flared again on Saturday morning after a vehicle was set on fire, further aggravating the situation and forcing the local administration to impose a curfew to prevent the violence from turning into religious strife.

The DAO said dozens of personnel from Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force have been deployed to restore order. Security has been tightened in sensitive areas, and the public has been urged to exercise restraint.

“Since the curfew was imposed, the situation has come under control,” Bhusal said. As Nepal is heading toward general elections on March 5, the administration is also mindful that attempts could be made to exploit the situation for political gain. “We are very attentive to such possibilities,” Bhusal said.

IANS