NEPAL: A lockdown was implemented, and security was increased in a city in southwest Nepal, but despite rapidly growing tensions between Hindus and Muslims, officials reported the night passed without incident.
As a result of a Hindu boy’s social media status about Muslims, unrest broke out over the weekend in Nepalgunj.
Muslim demonstrators torched tyres in the streets, halted traffic, and voiced their opposition to the status quo inside the major administrative building for the area.
Tuesday’s larger Hindu gathering was interrupted by rocks and bottles being thrown at the crowd, which caused a few minor injuries.
In Nepalgunj, which is around 400 kilometres (250 miles) west of the capital Kathmandu, the indefinite curfew has been in effect since Tuesday afternoon, immediately following an attack on a Hindu protest.
People were not permitted to leave their homes or meet in groups while the city was under lockdown, according to Santosh Rathore, the area police chief.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday morning, there were no reports of any issues. Officials claimed that in order to forestall further violence between the two sides, they had to issue the stay-at-home directive and forbid people from gathering.
In Nepal, a country with a majority of Hindus that only recently became secular, intercommunal violence is not frequent.
Muslims make up around one-third of the population of Nepalgunj, but only about 14% of the population of India, which shares a border with the town and has seen a growing religious difference.
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