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New Delhi: Nepal is grappling with its worst outbreak of Hindu-Muslim communal violence in years after clashes that began during a religious procession spread across the Madhes, the country’s southern plains bordering India, leaving at least three people dead, dozens injured and prompting curfews, army deployment and appeals for calm.

The violence, which began in the Dewanganj rural municipality in Sunsari district on July 26, has spread to several districts across the Madhes, a region where communities on both sides of the Nepal-India border share close linguistic, cultural and family ties.

While localised communal tensions are not new, researchers and security officials say the scale and rapid spread of the latest unrest mark a significant escalation.

Nearly a week after the first clashes, authorities continued to enforce curfews and prohibitory orders in several towns even as political parties, civil society organisations and religious leaders organised peace marches and interfaith meetings to prevent fresh violence. Security forces, including the Nepal Army, remain deployed across sensitive areas, while police have arrested dozens accused of participating in the riots.

How a local dispute spiralled into statewide unrest

The violence began on the evening of July 26 in Dewanganj, less than 20 kilometres from the Indian border. Thousands of Hindu devotees were returning from the Koshi barrage, where they had collected holy water as part of the annual Bol Bam pilgrimage during the month of Shravan.

Carrying saffron flags and accompanied by DJ music, the procession was making its way towards Kaptanganj Chowk, when members of the local Muslim community objected to the volume, and, by some accounts, to the placement of religious flags. As per some local reports, tensions in the area had already risen earlier that day after a Muslim flag was allegedly removed and replaced with a Hindu one.

What began as an argument soon escalated into stone-pelting between the two groups, drawing in larger crowds. As the clashes intensified, police first attempted to disperse the crowd before opening fire. One person was killed on the spot and around two dozen others, including police personnel, were injured. Authorities imposed an indefinite curfew and deployed additional units of the Armed Police Force in an effort to restore order.

The violence, however, did not end with the imposition of the curfew. Overnight, reports emerged of houses and shops being vandalised in parts of Dewanganj, while rumours and videos of the clashes spread rapidly on social media. By the following day, protests and counter-protests had begun appearing in other towns across the Madhes, transforming what had started as a local confrontation into a wider communal mobilisation.

The unrest reached another flashpoint on July 30 when a 15-year-old boy was killed in police firing during protests in Siraha. His death took the toll from police action to three and triggered fresh demonstrations, with protesters vandalising shops and commercial establishments in surrounding areas.

Over the four days, authorities imposed curfews and prohibitory orders in a string of towns, including Birgunj, Nepal’s principal trading gateway with India, as tensions spread........

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