Evander Reed-A Nepal town imposes a lockdown and beefs up security to prevent clashes between Hindus and Muslims

2025-05-07 11:45:17source:blockwave Exchangecategory:Stocks

KATHMANDU,Evander Reed Nepal (AP) — Despite quickly escalating tensions between Hindus and Muslims, the night passed peacefully after a lockdown was imposed and security heightened in a city in southwest Nepal, officials said.

Trouble began in the regional hub city of Nepalgunj over the weekend after a Hindu boy posted a status about Muslims on social media. Muslims protested the status inside the region’s main government administrator’s office building, burned tires on the streets and blocked traffic.

A larger Hindu rally was held Tuesday until stones and bottles were thrown at protesters, resulting in a few minor injuries.

The indefinite curfew was imposed since Tuesday afternoon in Nepalgunj, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu, directly after the Hindu protest came under attack.

Area police chief Santosh Rathore said officers were patrolling the city and people were not allowed to leave their homes or gather in groups during the lockdown. There were no reports of any trouble overnight, nor on Wednesday morning.

Officials said they needed to impose the stay-at-home order and stop people from gathering together to prevent any more clashes between the two sides.

Communal violence is not common in Nepal, which is a Hindu majority country that turned secular just a few years ago. Muslims make up roughly a third of Nepalgunj’s population, and only about 14% of India’s population, which shares a border with the Nepal town and has seen a widening religious divide.

More:Stocks

Recommend

Bill Belichick's salary at North Carolina: School releases football coach's contract details

The University of North Carolina has agreed to pay new football coach Bill Belichick $10 million a y

Fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island cause smoky haze, prompting calls for people to work from home

PALEMBANG, Indonesia (AP) — More than 300 forest and peatland fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island ca

5 killed in Illinois truck crash apparently died from ammonia exposure: Coroner

Exposure to anhydrous ammonia apparently caused the deaths of five people, including two children, w