Curfew Imposed in Rautahat Following Communal Clashes Over Wedding Music and Provocation

Kathmandu. On Falgun 7, a wedding procession reached a mosque in Sabagadh village, Gaur Municipality-6, Rautahat. The issue of playing a DJ during the wedding escalated significantly, leading to a clash.

On Falgun 9, during the clash, two motorcycles were vandalized and two were set on fire. The agitated group also set fire to an Indian-plated vehicle in Tikuliya, Gaur Municipality-4.

The mosque in Tikuliya was set on fire. The Armed Police Force used 2 shells of tear gas to bring it under control. The dispute, which began on Thursday, was not limited to playing a DJ at the wedding; it also involved the alleged teasing of a young woman and disrespect shown to a grocery shopkeeper, disturbing communal relations.

On Saturday evening, the Central Security Committee meeting, led by Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, decided to discourage acts that disturb communal relations and bring those spreading hate into the legal fold. The Central Security Committee requested the maintenance of religious tolerance and respect among all religions and communities.

The Badi Mosque in Sabagadh village was also damaged. Security officials working in Rautahat stated that during the initial days of the dispute, the two communities engaged in stone-pelting from the rooftops. On Saturday, an angry mob vandalized the Aslam Petrol Pump located on the Gaur-Chapur road section. Four window panes of the building housing the pump were shattered by the stone pelting.

A curfew has been imposed in Gaur. Chief District Officer Dinesh Sagar Bhusal is holding all-party discussions to restore the dispute between the two communities to its previous state. Additional Inspector General of Nepal Police Uma Prasad Chaturvedi is heading to Rautahat to resolve the dispute.

Will the Election be Affected?

Many suspect that this dispute might affect the House of Representatives election scheduled for Falgun 21. The area where the dispute occurred falls under Rautahat Constituency-1, where Nepali Communist Party Co-Chairman Madhav Kumar Nepal, CPN-UML's Ajay Gupta, Congress's Anil Jha, and RSP's Rajesh Chaudhary are competing.

Janmat Party's District In-charge Sheikh Jamshed and Ward Chairman of Gaur Municipality-6, Abadh Bihari Shah, have been arrested by the police for allegedly playing a role in escalating the dispute here. Security analysis suggests that the Gaur dispute is not political and will not impact the election. A high-ranking official from the Police Headquarters told Ratopati, "It will not affect the election, but it is observed that it might create psychological fear among voters."

Ministry of Home Affairs Spokesperson (Joint Secretary) Anand Kafle informed Ratopati that the District Security Committee is coordinating to minimize the dispute. He said, "Efforts are being made to minimize the dispute so that it does not hinder the election."

Local administration officials working in the Madhes region state that the Rautahat dispute is related only to two communities. An official from the Madhes Province Police Office said, "This is not a political dispute here; it is a dispute between two communities."

DSP Bishnu Pradip Basnyal of the District Police Office, Rautahat, stated that all-party discussions have been ongoing since early Sunday morning amidst the curfew. The curfew has been imposed within the area bounded by Madalwa Gate in the east of Gaur Municipality, the Lalbakaiya dam in the west, the Bam Canal in the north, and the Gaur Customs Office area in the south.