Communal tension escalated in southern Nepal after a mosque was vandalised in the Sakhuwa Maran area of Kamala Municipality, triggering violent protests and prompting authorities to tighten security along the India-Nepal border.
The unrest began after a video allegedly containing objectionable religious content went viral on social media. While two Muslim men accused of posting the video were detained by locals and handed over to police in Dhanusha district, the situation worsened when a mosque was attacked soon after, deepening communal fault lines.
Angered by the vandalisation, people took to the streets in parts of Dhanusha and neighbouring Parsa district. Protests in Birgunj town turned violent, with demonstrators pelting stones at police and damaging a local police station. Police fired tear gas shells to disperse the crowd.
Authorities imposed a curfew in Birgunj as tensions spread in the border district, which lies close to Bihar’s Raxaul. Hindu groups also staged protests, alleging that the viral video contained derogatory remarks against their deities.
With the security situation deteriorating, Indian authorities sealed the India-Nepal border, suspending civilian movement except for emergency services.
The Sashastra Seema Bal stepped up deployment and surveillance at the Maitri Bridge and other border points, with additional patrolling and dog squads pressed into service to prevent any spillover of violence.
