Video of vandalising Muslim mosque goes viral, riots erupt in Nepal near India border

KATHMANDU: Riots broke out after a video of a Muslim place of worship being attacked went viral on social media. Violence broke out in Birgunj town in Nepal's Parsa district following protests over the footage. The India-Nepal border was then closed. Birgunj is a town in Nepal, adjacent to Raxaul district in Bihar. The Parsa district administration imposed a curfew here. India closed the border with all but emergency services after the situation deteriorated.

Haider Ansari and Amanat Ansari from Kamala Municipality in Dhanusha district circulated a video with hate speech on TikTok. It showed footage of a Muslim place of worship being vandalised. The video led to communal riots in Dhanusha and Parsa districts. The locals caught the people who had circulated the video and handed them over to the police, accusing them of threatening communal harmony. However, the attacks had already started by then. The situation deteriorated after an attempt was made to demolish a section of a mosque in the Sakhuva Maran area of ​​Kamala district. Rioters attacked policemen and vandalised a police station.

Following the incidents, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) has reportedly sealed the India-Nepal border in specific areas and prevented ordinary citizens from crossing the border. There will be special surveillance at the Maitri Bridge on the India-Nepal border. There is also strong surveillance in the areas sharing the border with Nepal such as Sahadeva, Mahadeva, Pandoka, Siwan Tola and Musharwa. All the Indians who had gone to Nepal for work returned after the situation deteriorated.