Kathmandu, February 21 A curfew was imposed in parts of the Rautahat district in the Madhesh province of southern Nepal on Saturday following clashes between two groups, which heightened tensions.
The clashes between the two communities were triggered by a dispute on Thursday evening, which escalated over Friday and Saturday morning, resulting in at least eight people being injured.
According to Chief District Officer Dinesh Sagar Bhusal, the curfew has been enforced in Gaur, the district headquarters, and other areas from 1:00 pm on Saturday until further notice, as decided by the Rautahat District Security Committee.
Under Section 6(a) of the Local Administration Act, the District Administration Office has prohibited people from moving around, organizing gatherings, assemblies, rallies, and demonstrations within the curfew zone.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening in the Sapgadha area of Gaur Municipality, where members of one community allegedly obstructed a wedding procession playing music in front of a mosque, leading to tensions that later escalated into violent clashes.
At least eight people, including two police officers, were injured in the incident. Earlier, local authorities had deployed hundreds of riot police personnel in the tense area to prevent clashes.
Tensions flared after a vehicle was set on fire during the clashes, according to The Kathmandu Post, adding that although a six-point agreement was reached on Friday evening between the two sides following earlier confrontations, stone-pelting resumed around 9 am on Saturday.
This further aggravated the situation, prompting the administration to impose the curfew.